The Fountain of Youth
by Railynn
Summary: Jack Sparrow and Arianne set out on a quest to find the Fountain of Youth! Will they be trapped in a land of illusion and dreams? Part two in what will eventually become a four-part saga.
1. Tell Us a Story!

The Fountain of Youth  
  
************************************************************************ This is a sequel to Arianne, so if you haven't read that, I would highly advise that you do before reading this--much will make more sense to you if you do! But to those of you that have read Arianne, I hope you enjoy this as much as you did my first story! ************************************************************************  
  
Chapter One: Tell Us A Story!  
  
"Mama!" Reanna called out, running up to her with another little girl following close on her heels. Arianne bent down and picked up her only child, spinning her around once before setting her down and kneeling so she could speak face-to-face with Reanna.  
"What is it, Rea?" she asked, unable to look at the sweet face in front of her and not smile.  
"Will you and Daddy tell us a story about one of your adventures, Mama? Please?" Reanna pouted, widening her eyes to their fullest extent. Arianne laughed. As if she could refuse the little vixen anything.  
"You'll have to go ask your father, love, I can't speak for him."  
Reanna scampered off, leaving her friend behind to stare at the ground. Arianne winced slightly. Reanna had a bit to learn about manners. "Hello," she said to the little girl, who mumbled a similar greeting but still did not look up at her.  
"You know," she started, having seen these symptoms many times before in the children, "I used to have a dress just like that, when I was about your age." It worked like a charm. The girl looked up with wide eyes.  
"Y-you did?" she asked, awe-struck.  
"I did. My mother used to be very annoyed with me because I would get it all dirty," she said with a wry smile.  
The little girl smiled widely back, then said with all seriousness, "But you're the Golden Eagle!"  
Chuckling, Arianne reached out and touched the child's nose with a forefinger. "I wasn't always the Golden Eagle, sweetheart. Maybe some day you'll have grand adventures as well!" The girl smiled widely, her fear and awe of Arianne now completely erased.  
She breathed a sigh of relief. It was so hard to get the children-- even and perhaps especially the adults!--over their awe of her and her husband. She didn't feel any different than the other townsfolk, other than that she still occasionally wore pants instead of skirts.  
When Reanna came back outside, dragging Jack Sparrow by the hand, Arianne had to smile at the look of amused resignation on his face. "Mama, Daddy said he would if you'd help, so can we can we can we? Pleeease?"  
Laughing, Arianne stood up, brushing off her knees. "Alright, we'll tell you a story."  
"Great! Let's go!" And Reanna was hurrying off with her friend, leaving a bemused Jack and Arianne to follow them.  
  
When they finally reached Reanna's designated spot, they found themselves facing at least fifteen other children. When she started to protest, she was stopped by the look of pleading on Reanna's face and the excitement on the faces of all the other children. Sighing, she nodded at Jack and they took a seat on a bench while all of the children arrayed themselves in front of them, looking expectantly up at the two.  
"Well, what story do you want to hear?" Arianne asked, unsure of where to even begin. By now all of the kids knew the story of how she and Jack had fallen in love, but there had been so many other "adventures" over the years that it was impossible to choose.  
Reanna, of course, spoke up immediately. "Tell us about the Fountain of Youth, Mama and Daddy!" When all of the other children agreed--quite noisily--she smiled at Jack. She had just told Reanna the story a few nights ago, and she said it was her absolute favorite.  
"Alright," Arianne replied, then turned to Jack, "Now you have to help me out in this one, it's better told by both of us, so you pitch in at any time." When Jack smiled broadly and nodded, she could have smacked him on the back of the head. He always allowed her to get so wrapped up in the tales that she practically relived them.  
Shaking her head to rid herself of the urge to inflict violence upon her husband in front of so many impressionable youngsters, she began.  
"This happened only a year and a half after Jack and I were married..."  
  
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Short, I know, but I'll make up for it, I promise you! More to come soon! ^.^ 


	2. The Pig's Backside

Chapter Two: The Pig's Backside  
  
"How does everything look, oh all-seeing Eagle?" Jack called up to her from the deck. She looked down at him and smiled. Would the butterflies she felt when she looked at him never go away?  
"Neither a speck of cloud nor a sign of ship, all-knowing Sparrow!" she called back before coming down from the nest.  
Not in the slightest bit ashamed, he walked over to her, swept her up into his arms and kissed her soundly. She smiled up at him and stroked his cheek before whacking him on the back of the head. "You scalawag, have you no worry for what the crew might think?"  
"Why should I? Between the feared Captain Jack Sparrow and his equally feared partner in crime, Arianne the Golden Eagle, they'd not dare make a snide remark!"  
Flippant as always. She smiled at this most endearing of traits and shook her head. He was really the limit. When he whispered in her ear, she let loose a rare giggle and pushed him away to go and see how the remainder of the crew were doing and perhaps to gamble a bit with those that were not on duty.  
  
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He watched her go and couldn't help but smile as his eyes traced their way down from her braided hair held partly back by a blue scarf to the sway of her hips. Seeming to sense his stare (and she probably did, she seemed to read his mind more often than he found comfortable), she waggled her hips a little more seductively before looking back and winking as she disappeared below deck.  
He shook his head, trying to clear his head of the intoxicating scent she always seemed to leave behind when she walked away.  
True to his word, for the past year or so they had pirated very little--perhaps once or twice. They were more or less on the lookout for an adventure right now. He had never thought to say it, but just sailing from port to port had gotten, well, boring. He didn't want the typical adventure, however (why was it that the majority of them had to do with saving Elizabeth Turner, anyway?), he wanted to find something spectacular.  
  
Arianne knew of his wish, and had expressed her desire for the same. There had been a few rumors of some pool that was supposed to restore youth in the bars they visited when they reached a port, but it hadn't seemed anything of import. Who believed in something as ridiculous as that? Honestly, a pool that restored youth...  
Almost as strange as a chest of medallions cursed by old gods? Jack wondered to himself. Perhaps there may yet be something to this. Suddenly, he shouted orders for them to turn about and head back to the last port. They could make it by nightfall if the winds favored them.  
  
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When the ship suddenly listed and the table of cards went flying, Arianne--who had never lost her balance or her cards--hurried up the steps, tossing her hand behind her. The men immediately scrabbled to see what she had, and whistled with relief. She would have killed them yet again!  
When she reached the deck to find it a flurry of activity, she immediately sought Jack at the wheel. "What's in your head, you scoundrel?" she asked when she saw the huge smile on his face.  
"Why, we're going back to Tortuga love!" he replied cheerily. Too cheerily. She looked suspiciously at him.  
"Why are we going back to Tortuga?" she finally asked, her curiosity winning out.  
"Because I think we should find the Fountain of Youth, darling!"  
"You want to--you can't be serious--we should find--"  
He laughed at her near speechlessness. "Yes, love, we're going to try and find the Fountain of Youth. It should be a grand adventure, don't you think?"  
"But Jack, the Fountain of Youth doesn't exist...the very idea is absurd!" she protested.  
"Is it as absurd as cursed gold turning men into skeletons, love?" he asked, all joviality momentarily gone from his face.  
She simply stared at him, her mouth agape. When she finally came to herself, she simply shrugged and said, "To the Fountain of Youth we go, then!"  
  
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They reached Tortuga just after nightfall. The winds had indeed favored them this day. Jack and Arianne were one of the very few to disembark--the crew had had their fill of the riotous place over the past couple of days--and they headed straight for a very seedy bar (not that any bar on Tortuga was anything but) in which the worst of the rumormongers tended to haunt.  
Arianne didn't much like Tortuga--such a smell!--but it was one of Jack's favorite ports, and so she went along with it. She had to admit that occasionally just watching the things going on around here was rather amusing. She grinned as she remembered the very first time they had come here. Scarlet and Giselle had come with friends to exact vengeance upon Jack for their "humiliation," as they called it (though how a whore could suffer humiliation was beyond her...), and had found him to be accompanied by Arianne. They had advised her not to get entangled with the likes of Jack Sparrow, as he tended to bed women and leave them the next day. Their double-edged smiles at Jack had been wiped clean of their faces when they were told that Jack had married her, and that they had been married for about a month at that time. The whores had left rather surprised and unsatisfied, but it surely didn't last long. There were plenty of men who would gladly bed those two (either together or separate), and there was much gold to be had for them. Privately, Arianne thought that some of that gold should go to better make- up for them.  
She shook off her reflective mood when they reached the bar called the Pig's Backside, and she forced down a shudder of revulsion. She really didn't like filthy places like this, but if there was any information to be had, they would find it here.  
Entering, they found the wretched place to be packed, and she had to force down bile. Keeping a hand on the hilt of her dagger--to draw sword would be impossible--she, kept a sharp eye out for possible thieves (and who wasn't a possible thief in this place?) as she followed Jack around whilst he asked certain people if they had heard of the Fountain.  
Eventually, he found someone who knew a friend of someone who said he knew where the Fountain of Youth lay, and they were pointed to the farthest corner of the cramped and odorous room.  
Pushing and shoving their way through, Arianne having to draw her dagger and jab at a few hands sneaking for her purse and other things, they finally reached the place they had been directed to and found to their surprise some room to breathe. "I'm going to have to take a bath after all this, Jack," she whispered to him. He just smiled over his shoulder at her and moved to sit down with the old man--and he was very old--at the table.  
"So, I hear you know something of the whereabouts of the Fountain of Youth, eh?" Jack said. The old man didn't even blink; he sat completely still, staring at a single spot.  
"Umm...nice weather we're having," Jack continued, but the old man still didn't move. Arianne whispered a suggestion into Jack's ear and he glanced at her in slight disapproval, but went along with it. "How about I buy a round of drinks?"  
"That's more like it!" the old man said, all of a sudden coming to life. "I like you, laddie!"  
Jack and Arianne exchanged a glance as he shouted his order over the general din of the bar.  
  
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Hours later, the old man was still drinking on Jack's money, babbling complete nonsense. Every time he tried to get a word in edgewise, the man would stare at him blankly for a moment before continuing on in some useless tangent. Jack was slowly starting to lose patience, and as he looked at Arianne sitting to his side he noticed that she was getting more and more fidgety, she no longer even bothered to hide her disgust of the man and the place. She hadn't touched a single drop of her drink, which the old man promptly relieved her of.  
Gods, would the old fool never shut up and answer a few questions? he wondered idly.  
"Now, the Fountain of Youth, that's a worthy adventure, mates!" the man suddenly said. Jack suddenly perked up, giving him his full attention.  
"You know where it is, then?"  
"Aye, I know where it is," he stated before taking a swig from his mug.  
"Can you tell us?" Arianne asked excitedly, her revolt seeming to be lost for the moment.  
"A question I must ask of you two first," he said, staring hard at the both of them. Jack could swear he was sober in that moment. "Are ye afraid to suffer a fate worse than death?"  
Jack looked at Arianne, only to find her looking at him with puzzlement. "Like what?" Jack eventually asked.  
"Answer the question, lad, or ye'll never know where the Fount lies."  
Looking at Arianne and finding her nodding, he answered, "No, we're not afraid to suffer a fate worse than death."  
"Good, then!" the man said, suddenly seeming in a good mood. "So, ye want to find the Fountain of Youth," he cackled. "'Tis been many a year since young'uns like yerselves have come askin' after it."  
He continued on in this vein for what seemed like hours more, and just as Jack was about to drop his head to the table and fall asleep, the man finally gave them the bearings.  
Thanking him profusely (no doubt thanking him for finally giving them the answer they needed more than anything else), they finally left the Pig's Backside.  
  
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The man watched them go with a sly smile on his face. Yes, it had been many a year since young folk came to him yearning to find the Fount. What the young fools didn't realize was that none of the ships he had previously given the bearings to had ever been seen again, nor would they be unless someone came along that could break the spell holding them...  
  
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Okey dokey! Chapter 2 up! I couldn't believe that I already had two reviews this morning, lol! Well, I hope that the people asking me if there would be a sequel found this so I can answer their question: Yes, I'm writing a sequel! ^.^ I hope you all enjoy!  
  
Also, Alex, if you're FINALLY reading this (probably about two months after I've written it), I want you to know that I'm proud that you finally read the first story! 


	3. Don't Touch It

Chapter Three: Don't Touch It  
  
"Oh thank God we're finally out of there!" Arianne exclaimed later that night as she washed herself. "I feel so greasy."  
Jack laughed at her fastidiousness as he watched her from the bed. She had to be the oddest pirate he had ever seen. She insisted on washing her body at least twice a week (and would do it more if given the opportunity), and washed her hair on the weekends when she did Jack's hair.  
  
As he watched her, he felt a deep lassitude take over his body and mind. Soon his thoughts began to drift to the Fountain of Youth and he wondered what it would look like, what the waters themselves might taste like. He was several years older than Arianne; he would be old when she was the age he was now. Perhaps he would take just a sip from the Fount...  
  
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She looked behind her when she heard a snore and saw that Jack was sleeping. She grinned as she studied him--he hadn't thought to pull the blankets over himself, and as he slept nude...well, she just couldn't help herself. She smiled as she climbed in next to him, pulling the blanket up and cradling him in her arms.  
Before she herself drifted into sleep, she found herself thinking about the Fountain of Youth as well. What would it look like? she wondered to herself. She was excited about this adventure more because she wanted to see the Fount than actually drink from it. What need had she to drink the waters of the Fount anyway? She was young, full of life, and she couldn't quite conceive of ever being old.  
She shrugged mentally, and thought that she would just accept it when the time came. There wasn't much else she could do, really.  
With that final thought, the gentle rocking of the ship finally lulled her into the world of dreams.  
  
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When in the morning Jack woke, he woke to find Arianne twitching in her sleep, her face a mask of concentration and confusion. He watched her for a while, debating about whether it might be a good idea to wake her up and decided not to. He had learned not to interrupt her when she seemed to be dreaming--she tended to wake up violently and had once nearly driven a knee so hard into his groin that he would never bear her any children.  
He winced as he remembered that close miss, and climbed out of bed as carefully as he could. How did she always end up on the outside, anyway? he asked himself, not remembering last night's thoughts.  
  
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Don't touch it.  
Don't drink it.  
Those two small sentences were whispered all around her, but she could not see the whisperers for the darkness. They continued to speak to her.  
Help us, wake us, they said now.  
If the voices had sounded threatening, she might have been frightened, but instead they sounded forlorn, so very sad. She asked them who they were, and received no answer save the same things they had been repeating over and over.  
Soon, the voices started to sound more urgent, more frantic, as though they were trying to impart a crucial message to her before they were captured, but she couldn't understand what they were trying to say.  
She shortly came to understand why they started sounding so frightened, and a chill of fear settled in her heart. There was...something...approaching...something menacing...The voices were very frightened now, and though she could not see them, she sensed that they were milling about with fear, some with a little anger. They crowded in close about her; she could feel them touching her though she still could not see them.  
Finally, the menacing thing grew too close for the voices--spirits?-- to bear, and they vanished from around her, leaving her to face the horrible something that was coming. It howled, then, as if scenting its prey, and  
  
she woke, a scream catching in her throat, making her cough as she looked wildly about her. When she realized that she was no longer in the blinding darkness, but in the captain's cabin that she shared with Jack, she lay back, her entire body trembling with remembered fear. Her heart still beat wildly, and she tried to breathe slowly, trying to slow its erratic beat.  
She couldn't remember quite what she had been dreaming, but whatever it had been, she sensed that she had come very close to death. This only set her to trembling with fear again, her heart's beat rising once more in tempo.  
  
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Jack was beginning to wonder why Arianne was still sleeping. She never slept so late, and especially never while the ship was moving. They had been out at sea for some hours now, long enough that Tortuga was no longer visible even as a speck of darkness on the horizon, and still she had not appeared on deck. Worried, he signaled for Anna Maria to take over the wheel and went down to the cabin to check on her.  
What he found stunned him to his core. She was huddled in a tiny ball on the bed, her whole body shaking. He had never seen her so frightened, not even when she had gone through bouts of fear over what Amos would do to her if he ever got hold of her.  
He walked over to her quietly and touched her shoulder. She startled so badly that she jumped nearly a foot off the bed, and then huddled as close to the wall as she could. He realized that he had erred in being so quiet, and physically smacked himself on the forehead.  
He sat on the very edge of the bed, speaking soothingly to Arianne, telling her how much he loved her, and that he wanted to protect her from whatever had frightened her so badly. Soon she was in his arms, still shaking, but now it was but a small tremor compared to what it had been before. He stroked her hair back from her clammy forehead; though how she could sweat when she was ice cold he would never know.  
Eventually, she stopped trembling completely, and her body slowly began to grow warm. "What happened, love?" he asked, whispering softly to her, his mouth close to her ear.  
She shook her head, though not, he thought, in refusal to answer. His suspicion proved right when she said, "I...I'm not sure, Jack. I was...I was dreaming...I couldn't see anything and..."  
He watched her face and realized that she was struggling to remember. When her face relaxed completely save for her drawn eyebrows, he realized that she had given up and felt disgusted that she could not remember. "I can't remember, Jack. Damn it, I can't remember! I felt...I felt like I was about to die, but I don't remember why."  
When she would have stood and paced, cursing herself, he instead held her closer and told her that it was alright, that it had only been a dream.  
  
They stayed like this for a long time, and when she lifted her face to look him in the eye, a slight smile turned the corners of her lips up. "I'm sorry," she said.  
"Oh, not at all, love," he said, and sensing that she needed humor now, he said it with a cocky smile. "Why ever would I turn down the chance to hold a naked woman in my arms?"  
She grimaced and slapped his chest with her hand, and tried to stand. He caught her about the waist and pulled her back down, making her grunt in protest. She sent a flurry of poking fingers at his sides, and he let go of her, laughing and struggling as she tickled him mercilessly.  
"Stop!" he choked out when he got a slight breath of air. "I surrender!"  
"You better, you scoundrel," she said, but she stopped and stood up. He lay on the bed panting, trying to restore a normal breathing rhythm, and watched as she put her hands to her hips, looking down at him impatiently.  
"What, I don't get time to recover?" he asked with mock indignance "Of course not! Now get out and let me get dressed!" He mumbled something about how she was a cruel taskmaster as he got up and started to leave, but she pulled him back and kissed his mouth before pushing him out. He laughed as she slammed the door behind him.  
  
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For a minute or two, she leaned her back against the door, thinking about the morning. The fear had faded enough that it was only a slight nagging at the back of her mind. She had had strange dreams before, she thought to herself as she pushed off of the door and started to pull her clothes on, and she would have more strange dreams, no doubt, so what was the point in worrying about them?  
  
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*shudder* I've had strange dreams where when I woke up I knew that if I hadn't escaped right at that moment I would have died. Not one quite like Arianne's, mind you, but it has happened and I tell you dreams like that tend to hold onto a person for a long time. *shudders again* It's hard to shake off the shadow of near-death. 


	4. A Curse More Terrible

Chapter Four: A Curse More Terrible  
  
"We're going where?" she asked incredulously.  
"Port Royal, of course," Jack replied blithely.  
She could have choked him then, and whistled joyfully while she did it. It was so hard for her to visit her former home. She felt she no longer belonged in the lives of the people there. Her mother was happily married to the governor, Will and Elizabeth had had a child, and for some reason Elizabeth seemed to despise her. She avoided Will--and he her--at all costs. She still had not quite forgiven him for what he had done to her, and any time they ran into each other the moment was awkward.  
And the child...she shuddered. The moment she had laid eyes upon that babe she had known that he held no blood of Will's. He had features that she only too quickly identified, and she felt immensely uncomfortable every time she looked at him. She shuddered again.  
"You can just stay on board the ship, love," Jack said, understanding her concern.  
As tempted as she was, she shook her head. Her mother would be very insulted if her only daughter--her only child, come to think of it--was in the city and hadn't come to see her. Amara apparently didn't notice that Arianne felt very discomfited at the governor's household. She felt as though she were an intruder into her mother's new family, and she tended to get out as quickly as possible.  
When she noticed that Jack was staring at her with some concern, she smiled and shrugged. "Well, I suppose it would be alright if we went to Port Royal...though I'm not sure how happy Elizabeth will be to see me."  
"She'll be thrilled, love!"  
Arianne looked at him, disbelief etched plainly on her face and he retracted the fals statement. "Alright, so she may not be delighted...but you'll get to see the ba--" he stopped himself, now remembering that she didn't much like the child either. "Bloody hell, woman, is there nothing about Port Royal you like?"  
"Well, I very much like the manor that my mother left to us. In spite of the memories, it's a wonderful place to spend some time alone. And the crew can stay there with us if they so choose--just as long as they don't trash the place."  
"Is that all?" he asked in disbelief, "Just the house?"  
"Just the house. It's the only place in the city where I'm not being gawked at, avoided, hated, or intrusive."  
"I'm sorry," he said, "I didn't know you felt quite that strongly about going back to the place you lived most of your life."  
"Jack, it's alright, we'll be gone by morning anyway," she said quickly, trying to get the look of slight depression off of his face. When he suddenly brightened, she was immediately wary.  
  
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"Let's go to Port Royal after we've found the Fount, love!" he said, feeling like a child who knows he's about to get his heart's desire. He had decided that he didn't want to wait any longer than he had to to see this Fount. And perhaps to drink of it, a nagging voice whispered in the back of his mind. By the bearings the old man had given them, the fount should only be two weeks' travel.  
"What?" she asked, confused. It was obvious that she could hardly believe what she was hearing.  
"We don't have to go there now, love, we can just keep sailing on until we reach the isle the old man told us about," he said softer, putting his arm around her shoulder. "Can you see it, love?" he whispered now. "Going back to Port Royal with the tale of this adventure? Perhaps with some of the water from the Fount itself?"  
He was startled when she jerked away from him, her eyes wide with an emotion he could not quite name. "No," she said unexpectedly. Just that.  
"No what?" he asked, confused.  
"We'll not bring back any of the water, Jack."  
"Why the hell not?" he shot back, unsure of what strange mood had suddenly taken over his love.  
"Because it's sacred," she replied, and then her face took on a decidedly odd look--a look he liked not at all for she seemed as though she were someone else. "A curse more terrible than that you have known will follow should any of the waters be stolen. Such greed has been the downfall of many in the past, and the same will prove true for you should you follow your planned course of action." She stared at him a moment longer, that odd look still in her visage, and then she was suddenly Arianne again, looking slightly puzzled at the expression on Jack's face.  
  
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She grew more and more uncomfortable as he scrutinized her. Why was he looking at her so oddly? She had only said that she didn't think they should bring any of the water back with them.  
She felt as though she had just woken out of some half-dream, and had no recollection of her last ominous statement.  
As she went to take her shift in the nest, she felt Jack's watchful eyes on her back, and it made her undeniably uncomfortable.  
  
She sat up in the crow's nest as she did every day, and surveyed her realm. They had passed Port Royal some hours ago, to her immense relief, and now there was not so much as a smudge of land--or cloud--in sight. Ah, yes, her refuge. She had waived Cotton of his shift an hour or so ago, wanting to stay up here and think just a while longer. The slight gnaw of hunger in her belly had started a few minutes ago, but she ignored it as her thoughts wandered.  
She found herself thinking of the image of a rocky outcrop of land, and it appeared so real to her that she immediately snapped out of her reverie, looking wildly about to make sure she had not failed in her duties. But no, the sky was still clear and there was nothing to be seen but water all around.  
Reassured, she fell back to her meandering thoughts. Soon, the image of that same island came to her again, though it didn't seem quite as real as it had before. It seemed to be made entirely of rock, and as she came closer to it in her mind's eye, she found what appeared to be the mouth of a cave...  
"Arianne!" came a distracting call from below. She tried to brush it off, wanting to see what was inside this cave, but the call came again, more insistent now, and when the call came a third time, the imaginary isle vanished from her vision.  
  
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Just as he drew breath to call up to her yet again, she shouted down, "What do you want, Jack?"  
He frowned slightly at the irritation he could hear in her voice. "I want you to come down, love, 'tis time to retire for the night. No use keeping a watch when it's bloody dark out."  
Eventually, he heard her come down and slipped his arm around her waist when she was close enough that he could do so. She smiled at him, all annoyance seeming to have vanished, and put her arm around his waist as well, her hand sliding down to pinch him before taking its place on his hip. He grinned and returned the favor, making her squeak slightly in indignation.  
  
Later, as they laid together in the dark, Arianne asleep with her head on his chest, he found himself unable to sleep. It had been a strange day. Omens came in threes, it was said--and he had cause to believe it. The dream that had left his beautiful eagle curled tightly in a ball, her body shaking. Her strange statements as though someone else was speaking through her. And then she had stayed in the nest the whole day, and had seemed rather irritated that he had called her down.  
Come to think of it, he thought to himself with a yawn, she hadn't even answered him until he had called her name three times.  
He had barely finished the thought before exhaustion dragged him under.  
  
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Alrighty! I can't write when my mom's in here working, and as she works from home it makes it rather difficult to write hardly at all. But next week I will be back at Kevin's house, so perhaps I'll get more done!  
  
Also, I would like to say that I THINK--think, mind you--that this story is going to be considerably shorter than Arianne. But I'm a terrible judge of length, especially so early in the writing, so who can say for sure? 


	5. Isle of Dreams and Enchantment

Chapter Five: Isle of Dreams and Entrapment  
  
She woke as she had for the past week, shivering, the same fear clutching her heart as she wildly stared about. Discovering that she was no longer in that odd danger she could barely remember, she turned into the warmth beside her and found that Jack was still with her, much to her surprise. She didn't even bother to ask herself why, so grateful was she that he was there and comforting her. Snuggling into him, weariness now taking hold of her limbs rather than that cold fear, she knew that she could not handle many more nights like these past had been. They seemed to be sapping her of all vitality and strength.  
She forced a smile onto her face when he tilted her chin up to look at him, but by his expression she knew that he wasn't fooled a bit.  
  
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Her weak smile only made his concern--and therefore the frown upon his face--deepen. As much as she tried to shrug it off during the day, he knew that the fear from these strange dreams gnawed at her, and the obvious lack of energy she showed only convinced him more. He had stayed beside her this morning to see for himself the first moment of her waking, and it had horrified him.  
What were these dreams that could frighten this woman so? She had always been practical, and she was the most cunning individual he had ever crossed paths with. He had not even thought beyond steering his ship of the Fount, he was so concerned for her.  
"Tell me," he whispered to her.  
When she shook her head, he thought that perhaps she didn't wish to tell him, but then she said, "I don't remember."  
"You don't remember?" he asked, incredulous. These dreams had made her start awake gasping for air for the past week and she didn't remember?  
She sighed in exasperation. "I know it's ridiculous, but I can't remember much of the dreams! I know that they have changed, but I don't know how." She laid her head down, closing her eyes in weariness or disgust. He stroked her cheek.  
"You need rest, love. You can't keep a good watch if you're half asleep all the time," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Stay in here today, get some peaceful sleep."  
She opened her eyes, looking up at him with so much hope and gratitude that he felt a deep pang of sympathy. She needed this. Kissing her forehead again, he whispered an endearment into her ear and left the cabin.  
  
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She lay in the same position he had left her in for a long time, wanting to sleep but unsure of whether the night horrors could find her during the day. She feared that with as bone-tired as she had become that she wouldn't be able to break free of the grip of fear.  
As hard as she tried, however, she couldn't quite keep her eyes open, and slowly they drifted closed as her thoughts drifted...and drifted...  
  
...She was drifting in what appeared to be a small boat, the sun shining brightly--so brightly that it hurt her eyes and she could barely see anything. As real as everything seemed, still she knew that she dreamed, though she could even feel the pulsing heat beating down upon her hair. Pulsing? Since when did the sun pulse? Even as she asked herself these questions, the pulsing grew more intense, as did the immensely bright light. She covered her eyes with her hands, trying in vain to ward off the blinding light.  
All of a sudden, the light was gone. All of it. It was so dark she could not see her hand in front of her face. So dark. She realized then that she could no longer feel the boat beneath her, nor could she hear the ocean's steady beat around her. The voices were suddenly there. They did not approach from afar, but crowded about her, touching her hair, her skin, making her shiver. They whispered their fears to her, their dreams, and hearing them made her shiver all the more. They no longer sought to warn her, as they had so many times, she realized.  
Were these the dreams she woke from in such a manner? Hardly something to keep her abed trembling with fear.  
Soon the voices began to fade, the ethereal fingers that stroked her and caressed her hair became barely more than a weak breeze. She felt something beneath her feet--rock, perhaps--and realized then that she could see vague shapes.  
She stood on the highest point of a small isle that seemed to be made entirely of rock. It was night, the moon full. Some small part of her mind realized that this very night the moon would indeed be full.  
The night, smelling of salt and fresh life, made her giddy. She reached up to the moon as if she would pluck it from the sky and danced about on her tiny perch. She knew a moment of fear when she fell off of the precipice, but the wind caught her and bore her down to the sea level, landing her softly in a small boat.  
The boat moved of its own accord through the completely still water of the ocean, making a course for the yawning mouth of what must be a cave. The cave was familiar to her, and seemed welcoming in spite of its darkness. She smiled as she drew ever closer. Perhaps now she would finally see what was inside...  
  
She partially woke, half of her still caught in the dream, the other half realizing that it was night--had she slept so long?--and that Jack was beside her, his arms wrapped tightly around her. Some urge made her hand move to entwine her fingers with his before  
  
she was wholly immersed in the dream once more, leaning forward in the boat excitedly as she drew closer and closer to the cave. When she heard a slightly strangled noise behind her, she turned with some irritation to see Jack sitting at the very back of the boat, fear lining his handsome features.  
She stared at him with confusion, unsure of how he had gotten here. Her thrill at finally finding out what was in the cave dimmed when he continued to stare at the mouth of the cave in terror. Reaching back, she took one of his hands in hers. He finally looked at her and his fear seemed to recede just a bit, but not enough for her satisfaction. When she spoke what she thought were words of comfort, he stared at her with horror and disbelief on his face, reaching out to pull her into his arms as if to protect her from some evil.  
She simply sighed and turned in his arms so she could see as they finally entered the cave she had so longed to see.  
  
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Alrighty, this one took FOREVER to flow, dammit, but the next chapter should be coming shortly! 


	6. Come With Us, Stay With Us

Chapter Six: Come To Us, Stay With Us  
  
Jack closed the door behind him softly, hoping that she would finally get some rest. He stood outside the door for a moment, his hand remaining on the wood as if to go back inside. Sighing, he eventually walked away and went to begin the day.  
  
The wind had apparently been strange last night, for the course of the ship had to be slightly corrected, but other than that the day was fairly uneventful. He went to check on Arianne a few times during the day, and was glad to find that she appeared to be sleeping peacefully. When he stroked hair back from her face and kissed her forehead she didn't even twitch an eyelash. A sure sign that she was far away from here, he thought with a smile.  
He didn't know how right he was.  
When the day began to wane and evening approached, Jack discovered that many of his crew were lagging in their assigned tasks. When asked why, they simply said that the heat must be getting to them, for indeed it was much hotter than usual on this near-autumn day. Many of the men were shirtless, their pants rolled up to their knees, and even Anna Maria had stripped to a shift--a dangerous thing indeed when on a crew of nearly all men. They were all gleaming with sweat.  
Jack was still fully clothed, but the heat was beginning to get to him too, as though it was getting hotter instead of cooler with the coming dark.  
He tried to rouse everyone with a hearty chorus of "A Pirate's Life For Me," but the normally cheering song seemed to drag on as if it were a dirge, and he gave up. Feeling the weariness seeping into his bones, he decided that it was time to stop for the day. No one was getting much of anything done, and everyone's feet were visibly dragging, their hands barely able to lift the slightest weight.  
The anchor was released and everyone retired for the night--something Jack usually didn't allow, but this day he didn't have the heart to make anyone stay awake in the heat. There couldn't possibly be a ship--hostile or not--with a crew in any better shape than his.  
When he entered the cabin, Arianne was still sleeping in the position he had last left her in. Barely able to move enough to slide out of his shirt, he flopped onto the bed, his arm around her, and was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.  
  
For a while he was simply drifting in and out of a fitful doze. He was sweating with the intense heat and it was hard to get comfortable. When he finally wrapped his arms around Arianne, he found her to be not only dry, but slightly cool to the touch. Hardly able to process a thought with the haze of heat and weariness clouding his soul, he simply hugged her tighter to him. He vaguely felt that she twined her fingers with his--the only voluntary movement she had yet made--and then he was asleep.  
  
When he woke--or thought he did, at any rate--he found himself to be sitting in the stern of a small boat. He realized that he must be in a dream. Clearing the haze that still seemed to surround him, he saw Arianne sitting in front of him, leaning forward in the boat as they approached the maw of a dark cave.  
Fear took over him suddenly, and a strange sound escaped his lips. She turned to look at him, then, annoyance written over her features. As soon as she recognized him, however, annoyance turned to confusion, which then turned into what he guessed was supposed to be comfort.  
"Nothing bad is going to happen to us, Jack," she said, but he heard another voice whispering into his ear.  
Nothing will happen to you, the voice said, because she has chosen to keep you by her side. When she chooses otherwise, then will you suffer the fate so many before you have suffered.  
He knew somehow that the voice was deadly serious, and this was no dream. This was dreadfully real. He reached out and pulled Arianne into his arms, as much for his own comfort as anything else. He needed to feel her, make sure she was real. He knew that to lose her would be to suffer a fate worse than death.  
They drew nearer to the cave.  
  
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Throughout the ship, the crew shared the same dream.  
They were alone in absolute darkness, voices speaking around them, ethereal fingers touching them, stroking them as if in joy.  
You have come to join us! they whispered. Come to us, stay with us.  
As hard as they struggled, they could not break free of the frightening dream that held them. Though their bodies lay still, their spirits writhed in the terrifying grip of the monster that Arianne had been lucky enough to escape all these nights.  
  
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She broke free of his arms to lean forward, taking one of his hands in her own. They were finally inside the cave. It was darker than pitch in here, but she strained forward anyway, trying to see the wonders that would surely come.  
She felt a pang of irritation as Jack's fear grew to an almost tangible thing behind her. She turned to smile reassuringly at him and squeezed his hand. He squeezed back and smiled weakly, but she could tell it had done little to help him. She didn't understand why he was so afraid of a dream (albeit this one was more realistic in its odd way than most), but she kept holding his hand anyway.  
Only when she turned to face forward again did she realize that she had been able to see his face. Looking about her, she saw that the walls around her seemed to be glowing a slightly bluish color. Looking down into the water, she breathed in astonishment and pulled on Jack's hand, pointing down into the waters with her free hand.  
  
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When he looked over the edge, he saw sleeping faces that appeared to be lit from within by a luminescent blue light. He swallowed nervously, and Arianne shot him an odd glance. The voice whispered to him, telling him that this would be his fate when she let him go--and she would, the malevolent voice whispered joyfully. He shuddered and she looked at him again, her face wreathed in confusion at his reaction.  
  
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She looked back to the gorgeous luminescent flowers beneath the water and was confused at Jack's horrified reaction. She had never seen flowers so beautiful, and when she reached over the side to pick one Jack grabbed her hand.  
"What is the matter with you?" she asked with disbelief.  
"Don't you see them?!" he exclaimed.  
  
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Muahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hehe, it has come to my attention that everyone hates the cliffhangers...I just can't help it! They're so damn fun! ;) I love you all! 


	7. Dharketh

Chapter Seven: Dharketh  
  
She looked at him, wondering what he was talking about. She shook her head, trying to clear the fog of wonder that seemed determined to overwhelm her senses. When she felt that her head was slightly clearer, she looked closer at Jack. She didn't like what she saw. He was desperately afraid of-- what? Every time he looked down into the water, his hands tightened on the edge of the boat and he seemed to grow slightly more flushed with fear.  
"What am I supposed to be seeing?" she asked as the fog about her mind seemed to dissipate further.  
"The...the faces," he whispered. She frowned, never having seen him so frightened that he couldn't even make a flippant remark. If the fog had still enshrouded her thoughts, she may have dismissed him out of mind for the ridiculous statement. As it didn't, she looked down into the water curiously. The flowers were still there...but now, in her belief that Jack might be right, they seemed to waver.  
She leaned back and rubbed her eyes, but it did no good, for the problem was not with her vision, but with the illusions in the water. Looking again, the flowers wavered still more and she saw them. Instead of leaning back, she stared at them. They looked as though they were sleeping. There were more of them than she could count. Fascinated and slightly horrified, she tried to look closer, her face nearly touching the water as she leaned forward to examine them.  
  
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When she looked back again, he hoped that she saw what he had seen. When she leaned back to rub her eyes, hope flared within him. When she leaned back over, though, her face a mask of fascination, he began to doubt that she had seen them. He knew beyond a doubt that what he saw was the truth, but why Arianne was seeing illusion he could not tell.  
Vaguely he wondered if it had anything to do with her dreams.  
The menacing voice was quiet, and he had an impression of slight shock.  
  
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She leaned back yet again, looking at Jack thoughtfully. Why had he seen the faces while she saw things of great beauty? She frowned, and as she did she realized that she no longer felt the wonder and awe that she had felt earlier in this dream.  
If it even was a dream.  
The thought came unbidden and her eyes widened with shock. This was no dream; it could not be a mere dream. And yet...it did not quite have a feeling of reality about it. Everything seemed so vibrant, so alive, much more so than everyday life felt. When she concentrated, she could even feel life in the stone walls about her.  
She could feel the being that had chased her out of those dreams for the past week. Those dreams that she could now remember vividly.  
The fog reached out as if to enfold her once more, and anger flared. She was being used for something that she didn't understand, and she hated it. How dare they use her like this? Her fury burned away the last vestiges of the numbing haze that had clouded her senses for so long.  
When the presence of the thing that had chased away all of those voices thickened between her and Jack, she moved around it to take Jack's hand in hers again, lips pursed tightly in anger.  
  
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Jack felt the "thickening" of the menace that appeared to be materializing right in front of him, and was glad of Arianne's presence beside him instead of at the opposite end of the boat. He had watched her face as her anger grew and knew that it boded much ill for whomever had incited it. He had seen the results of her fury, and knew that she was not to be trifled with.  
Apparently, the voice that had spoken so wickedly to him did not know any better.  
In spite of the gravity of the situation, he smiled wryly.  
  
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If she hadn't been so angry, she would have looked to Jack and smiled as well when she felt the tension of fear go out of his body. It was enough that he was no longer afraid, however, and so she did not look at him, but instead kept her eyes on the darkening shape appearing before them.  
When it finally became a completely material being, she barely held herself back from reaching out and landing a punch directly on the unseen face of the creature. All that could be seen of it was a black robe, the hood pulled low so nothing could be seen of its features.  
Instead of feeling fear, her anger intensified, knowing this to be the thing that had so frightened her for so long. Then it spoke.  
"So, you are a more valuable ally to her than we suspected," it said. Its voice was neither male nor female, and sounded like a grating whisper more than anything else. It appeared to be speaking to Jack, who simply nodded.  
The thing turned to her. "You, also, are not as we expected. You should not have been able to see through the illusion," it said, its voice dripping with venom. "Even with the help of this scum."  
She laughed, then, finding the situation absurdly funny though she was still furious with the creature standing before her. "You call him scum," she stated derisively, "And yet you do not even have courage enough to show your face. You find it appropriate to frighten harmless spirits, and then to chase me out of my own dreams like I had somehow trespassed into your territory."  
"I should have killed you instead of allowing you to escape," it snarled.  
"Then why didn't you?" she asked, brow arched in challenge, her tone hard as steel. The creature didn't answer, but through some power she did not realize she had, she saw the thing's thoughts and laughed aloud again. "You tried. You tried and you failed. What a disappointment you must be to the others that share your wretched existence."  
It growled and started to dissipate, but she was not yet finished. She had seen something else in that brief glance through the creature's soul, and she used it now. "Dharketh," she whispered.  
  
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The creature stopped as soon as she whispered what could only be its name. Jack stared at Arianne, seeing her in a new light--and light she was, he realized. It was no longer simply the blue glow that illuminated them, but a golden light seemed to emanate from her.  
The creature growled again--though it sounded more a thing of desperation than anything else--and tried to leave again. She whispered the name twice more, and it screamed in frustration. The power of names, Jack understood. According to tales his mother and grandmother used to tell him, if you said the name of something three times it was bound to you until you died or it found a way to kill you. But it was only supposed to work with the oldest of creatures, such as faeries, the folk who had disappeared many years ago.  
These tales had gotten many who believed them burned for witchcraft long ago, but still his grandmother had known them, had passed them on to his mother and himself when he was very young.  
He used to believe them, but as he got older he passed them off as fairytales designed to frighten children.  
Seeing what Arianne had now done, the memories of all of those stories came flooding back and he was more than a little frightened to be confronted with something so old that its true name held power. He almost recoiled from Arianne that she had power to see the true name of a creature such as this, but knew that if he let her go he would almost certainly be lost.  
The creature screamed again, this time in pain as Arianne twisted her hold on it. Her eyes were practically sparking in her fury at being used, and he knew that if he didn't say something that she would likely torture the thing until it died.  
The golden light grew more intense.  
  
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Don't ask where this came from...well, you can I suppose, but I won't be able to produce a satisfactory answer. 


	8. Never Assume

Chapter Eight: Never Assume  
  
She twisted the bond between her and the faerie, feeling much satisfaction in its screams of pain. She felt someone grab her arm and vaguely heard a buzzing sound that could have been Jack talking, but she ignored it. When he called her name, she swatted it away like a fly. When he did it again, she felt a tug at her soul and she momentarily stopped torturing the creature--though she still held tightly to the link between them. When he called her name yet a third time, she looked at him with disbelief.  
"What do you want?" she asked.  
"I want you to stop torturing that thing you have trapped, love," he said softly.  
"But why?" she asked, feeling betrayed. "This thing has been using me for its own gain!"  
"So you're going to torture it?" Jack asked, his voice reflecting his surprise and, worse, disappointment in her. She cocked her head to the side as his words sank into her mind. She was drunk on her own power, she realized with a sickening jolt.  
Disgusted with herself, she released her painful grip on Dharketh-- though she made sure his bond to her was still strong. She could not allow him to get away now to warn any others there might be. And she wanted information from him.  
  
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Jack watched the expressions as they changed on her face with some relief. The golden light radiating from her was still intense, but it somehow seemed cleaner now. He felt indescribably strange. This was all so much weirder than the cursed Aztec gold. Faeries? His wife somehow finding out one of the creatures' names? How much stranger could this get? When Arianne began to question Dharketh, he shook himself out of his reverie to listen.  
"Why did you deceive me?" she asked, her voice steeled with anger.  
Dharketh remained huddled in a corner of the tiny boat, silent. She asked again, apparently compelling him this time for he stood.  
"Because I was ordered to," he said, sounding as if every word had to be forced from him.  
Jack looked at Arianne. Her eyes were narrowed, lips pursed.  
"You know more than that. Tell me!" she said, the command holding such power that Jack felt a desperate yearning to tell her everything he had ever known in his life.  
  
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He stared at her hatefully, trying to resist the command that had her desired answer crowded behind his tightly closed lips. He knew that he could not open his mouth without those words spilling forth, and he did not want her to hear them from him. Instead he turned and made the boat continue its journey deeper into the cave.  
He felt her rage at his defiance growing behind him and hoped that the wretched human would stop her from harming him again. He hated that she could do that, and hated even more that the human was his ally.  
This wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She was not supposed to be this powerful; she was not supposed to have seen through the illusions that had been so carefully crafted by his people. Now she would have a hard time seeing the beauty of what was left of them.  
She may escape their grasp altogether, and it was the human's fault. Perhaps part of the blame rested upon him, however, he thought to himself. He perhaps should not have shown the human what really lay beneath the waters, should not have spoken so to the horrid creature. Now, because he had done these things, he and his people might lose their only chance at continued survival.  
  
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She was angry when Dharketh refused to answer her, but she held her tongue as the boat glided through the water. There was more than one way to receive an answer, after all.  
Soon they came to a rocky ledge that led into what looked to be a very well-lit room, and Dharketh bade them get off the boat. He had not said a word. She assumed that was because he would be forced to tell her what she had asked him to, and didn't comment.  
Once they entered the room, all thought of being angry with him vanished. All thought of pretty much anything vanished. The ceiling was very high, and the light seemed to be emanating from blue and green globes hanging suspended in various places around the large cavern. It was the very back of the room, however, that caught her eye. Water burbled down from a point high in the wall, filling a pool at the bottom. She rushed over to the edge of the pool in delight, knowing this to be the Fountain that they had set out to find. Only when she looked to her left did she realize that she was still gripping Jack's hand and that she had dragged him with her in her haste to reach the pool. She grinned at him, and when he only smiled slightly back she frowned. When she looked to her right, she saw a raven-haired person wearing a dark robe standing next to her, staring at the pool. Eventually she realized that this was Dharketh, and her mouth dropped open in shock. He looked at her, then, and her mouth stayed open in more than shock. He was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, his skin flawless and pale, his eyes large and black, his face so perfectly made that she doubted anything else could be so lovely. In that first moment he looked at her, his expression was sad, his eyes almost misty with emotion. As he continued to look at her, the sadness melted away and his eyes seethed with hatred for her. A deep corner of her mind noted that the hatred marred his beauty not at all. He looked past her, then, to Jack, and it seemed that his hatred grew even more intense. "It would seem that we were allies when first I arrived to meet the Golden One, but no more. There is nothing you can do here, nothing even she could do if she wished to. The power of my people is too concentrated here for even Her to do anything to me." She glared at him, angry that he was treating Jack this way. She twisted the link between them again, and when he smiled faintly in amusement she twisted harder, this time causing him pain again. He paled, and stared at her with some surprise plain on his beautiful features. "Never assume anything," she said, "and never speak to him with anything but respect." "Yes, Dharketh," came an unmistakably female voice from behind them. "Never assume anything. And do treat our guests with respect."  
  
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^.^ Hope you all enjoy! And dammit, Alex, you better read soon! 


	9. Her Jealousy

Chapter Nine: Her Jealousy  
  
For all that she spoke of respect, Dharketh noted with amusement, she was quick to subdue the pirate wretch and the Golden One who held him in her service. She might have resisted, but the blow was unexpected and so She fell into the arms of sleep--likely the first decent sleep She had gotten in a while, thanks to him. The light that had previously been radiating from Her skin vanished and She now looked like what She thought She was--a human. A rather pathetic one at that, even though She was undeniably beautiful.  
"You gave her your name," Liayela said softly.  
"No!" he protested, but she wasn't finished with him yet.  
"You gave her your name, and you broke a most sacred bond between you and the rest of our people. You broke the communion we all shared, the love that you and I once shared, all for the fresh blood and power she brings us!"  
"I did no such thing!" Dharketh cried in anguish. "She stole my name, I know not how! I would never betray us, Liayela!"  
She simply stared at him with reproach in her gaze.  
"She is far more powerful than we ever prepared for if She could strike out at me thus in the center of our power. She does not yet know the extent of that power, thank the gods, but She is fast on her way to finding out." He shook his head.  
"This one, 'Ela, is different. Did you know she felt no temptation whatsoever to drink from the Fount? The thought never crossed Her mind, and I should know as I shared the dreams of that One for many nights. I should know, for I see it clearly in her face. Even when She saw it for the first time, the thought of drinking of it didn't even occur to her.  
"You well know that even the others with purest hearts considered taking a tiny sip. She is different. I know not what She is, but if we were to let Her miserable ship go we would avoid much havoc."  
Liayela, whose lips had tightened perceptively when he had called her 'Ela, now said, "I will give you that she is different, but too powerful for us to handle? She couldn't even ward off a sleep spell!"  
Dharketh gazed at her with curiosity bordering on contempt. What had taken over her that she could not see how much danger this One possessed? Liayela was older than him by several centuries, she had led their people since before his mother had been born. She had chosen the ones that would help replenish their power time and time again, had even killed some who had nearly been a danger to them.  
What was happening now? he wondered.  
  
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Liayela stared down at the golden-haired body on the floor. She was nothing that could not be handled. She was not even so powerful as her lover--former lover, she reminded herself now--claimed. Dharketh had to have given her his name. He had been sullen for a long while now, ever since he had been ordered to frighten her out of the odd but not unpleasant dreams that had pervaded her sleep for the past week or so. The blasted souls from which she drew her power simply would not behave. They seemed to be drawn to this woman for reasons they could not--or would not--answer.  
This, perhaps, infuriated her even more than the fact that the sleeping woman had stolen her control over Dharketh. That Dharketh had let her take him. She wasn't so powerful, Liayela told herself. If she could not even resist the simple sleep spell, it was impossible that she held the power Dharketh said she did.  
  
Perhaps if Liayela's mind had not been clouded by jealousy and a foreboding sense that her time was come to an end, she would have been more observant in her assessment of Arianne.  
  
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She woke to find herself on a bed of feathery softness in an odd little room where the walls, ceiling and floor alike were made of stone. There were more of those odd lighted globes hanging around the room, but they were dimmer than the ones in the large chamber had been.  
How had she even gotten here, she wondered to herself. The last thing she remembered of being in the cavern that held the Fountain was a woman's voice telling Dharketh to treat them with respect...but then what had happened?  
She sighed and gave up. Remembering then that she had had a link between herself and Dharketh, she frantically searched for and found it. Her grip on it secure, she relaxed. She had no idea what might happen here, and an ally--willing or no--would be invaluable.  
Suddenly she realized that Jack was not with her. Frightened beyond all measure, she jumped out of bed--or tried to, anyway. Her limbs seemed unwilling to respond as quickly as she hoped, so she ended up falling off the edge of the bed instead of jumping out of it. Growling, she forced some energy to flow through her arms and legs and pushed herself up off of the floor.  
Apparently feeling that she had woken, Dharketh walked in through the round portal that shimmered with what could only be magic. She watched him warily, unsure of what his actions might be, and she could not have been more surprised when he gave her a little bow.  
"I have come to speak with you, if it pleases you," he said in a pleasant tone. His graceful movements and pleasant liquid voice soothed her hair-trigger nerves, though she still kept a wary eye on him.  
"What is it that you want?" she asked. "What have you done with Jack?"  
Dharketh's pleasant visage failed him and he looked insulted. "Whyever do you think that I 'did something' with him? I'm not the only elf here, you know! And besides, you gave me specific orders to treat him with nothing but respect, and I have done so. He sleeps in the next room, not to awaken until Liayela wishes it.  
"Or until another more powerful presence wishes it," he said slyly.  
Arianne sat down on the edge of the soft bed with a resigned sigh. "Why have you come?" she asked wearily.  
  
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Ooooh, I need sleep soooooooooooo badly! If this chapter isn't very good, it's a result of being overly tired, and I apologize from the bottom of my heart. Also, I don't think I've mentioned this yet: I so very much appreciate all of the readers and reviewers that have been so patient with me--I couldn't do it without you! 


	10. Dharketh's Story

Chapter Ten: Dharketh's Story  
  
"Why have you come?" She asked him. He was only too happy to supply an answer--a rather long-winded one, at that--after Liayela had publicly humiliated him. She had told the people that he had betrayed them by throwing his lot in with the new blood, that he had lied to Liayela repeatedly about how the Golden One "stole his name." She had repudiated him, had thrown him out of her home, and now he had nowhere to go but to Her.  
He had not lifted the sleep spell, and had not been surprised that She had shaken it off on Her own. He had tried to tell 'Ela, but in her superiority in all things, she had shaken off his adcive and done as she pleased. He still did not know for sure what was wrong with her, but he had his suspicions--which he prudently kept to himself.  
"I came to answer a question that I never fully answered before," he replied.  
She frowned slightly, and before bidding him continue She said, "Bring Jack to me, and I will listen to what you have to say."  
A smile wished to curve his lips upward, but he throttled it. She was devoted to this human. It was probably just as well that she was--if it hadn't been for him, Dharketh would likely be dead by now. Or worse, all of the elves would likely suffer a torturous death at Her hands. Instead of saying anything, he turned and left the room, shortly returning with the sleeping mortal in his arms.  
  
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She looked at Jack's still, seemingly lifeless form and was horrified. When Dharketh laid him down on the bed beside her, she immediately felt for Jack's pulse, and was satisfied to find it slow but strong. "Why is he asleep?" she started to ask, but clamped her mouth closed on the words as she realized that Dharketh had already told her that.  
She glanced at him suspiciously, and when she tested the bond knew that he had no ulterior motives in coming here. Well, perhaps none that would do her harm at any rate. "How do I wake him?" she asked, needing Jack's comforting support in this strange place.  
"How did you wake yourself?" She could have slapped Dharketh for answering her question with a question.  
"If I knew how I woke up, then likely Jack would be awake now," she snapped.  
"I apologize--but I myself do not know," Dharketh said meekly, sincere in his apology.  
Of course, if he had been anything less than sincere Arianne may well have killed him in that moment of overwhelming stress. She cradled Jack's head in her arms, wishing with all her might that he could comfort her.  
  
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Dharketh watched Her as she cradled her lover's head in her arms. She was obviously overwhelmed by everything this night had thrown at Her. Oddly, he felt very sad that he could not help Her in this time when She needed her love the most. He was glad that She had brought the human with Her now, for otherwise She may well have been lost in a chaos that She could never be recovered from, and then where would they be?  
  
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If Dharketh had not been watching, Arianne would likely have cried. As he was, however, she didn't, and she softly whispered in Jack's ear, begging him to wake up. When he still lay sleeping, she looked up at Dharketh and nodded, silently bidding him to tell her what he had come to say.  
  
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"Many ages ago, before humans were even existent, the faeriefolk roamed the land. There were none of the cities, paved roads, large fields full of crops, none of it. We didn't need any of that. We were content with what our chosen place to live could give us, and we gave back by nurturing the land. We were happy.  
"Before the humans were created, our gods entered into a war against each other. None of our people are entirely sure what the war was over, but after many centuries the side of chaos won. One of the rogue gods--the one you humans call "God" or "Father," I believe--created the humans. Humans were supposed to be a race that would entirely wipe out the faeriefolk, for this rogue had grown bored of watching the harmony between the faeries and the Earth. He tried to destroy us.  
"He very nearly succeeded. But before the first human walked the land, the other gods were allowed to bestow a single gift each upon this new creation, for your god was arrogant and believed that nothing could be done to reverse his plan. The remaining gods that opposed this rogue came together with intent to form a plan, but all failed miserably.  
"When the time came to bestow their gifts, each gave the humankind one flaw, such as fear, shame, and anger. They had all given their gifts, all but one.  
"This last one, She is our most beloved god. She knew that the rogue would kill them all in order that he be the only remaining power--but he would only kill them after his children were born, after the rest of the gods realized the hopelessness of it all.  
"She had not gone to the meeting between the gods. She instead chose to seclude Herself and commune with the only powers that even the gods could not tame. She plead with these powers for some sort of answer to this great dilemma, and She came out with an answer. Instead of giving the humans a quality, She gave up Her life and gave a prophecy to the faeries:  
Abomination shall come,  
Take over this world,  
But my people, do not fear.  
I shall return,  
In the guise of one  
Who has driven you from your home.  
A golden eagle,  
Shining bright,  
Shall birth unto thee salvation.  
"With this, She commended Herself to the stars to await rebirth. Our people have been waiting for so very long. Every one hundred years, we search for one of elven birth, each time praying that it will bring our Goddess who gave the ultimate sacrifice back to us. Always it has been with the lure of the Fountain of Youth, for who could resist such a thing as that? We know the elven-born by their having no desire from the very start to drink from the Fount. We have had no luck, thus far.  
"At least, we had no luck...until we found you."  
  
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She stared at him, her insides roiling with something that she could not call disbelief, for it all sounded so ringingly true. More confusing, it sounded familiar. What was this crazed creature saying? He thought that she was this lost goddess? But how was that even possible? Her head spun and she had to clutch the bed to keep from falling off of it.  
  
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Dharketh stared at Arianne with alarm. Perhaps She had not been ready to hear any of this yet. Panicking, he threw a sleep spell at Her--weak, but perhaps it would catch Her unawares again and give him time. When She fell onto Her side deep in sleep, he arranged the man she called her husband so that he laid by her side, and then hurried out of the room.  
  
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Alright, this has been a long time in coming and I apologize from the bottom of my heart! I meant to finish this last week when I did chapter 9! 


	11. Memories of a Lost Life

Chapter Eleven: Memories Of a Lost Life  
  
Images and thoughts that were completely foreign and yet so terribly familiar flashed through her mind. Only her curiosity kept her asleep, for she wanted to learn more. She was frightened by all that Dharketh had told her, and was glad he had put the sleep spell on her, for she had felt as though she was going to fall into an abyss of confusion if she had stayed awake.  
Not that this wasn't a mass of chaos, for it was, but it was at least helpful chaos.  
So much had she learned just from the snatches of conversations she heard. She had learned enough to know that Dharketh's story--while not entirely accurate--was overall true. The prophecy was the same.  
When the flood of memories started repeating itself, she gently untangled the lines that held her in sleep and slowly brought herself into wakefulness. What she saw astounded her.  
The cave no longer looked like simple stone, the bed not simply a wooden frame with a feather-filled mattress, and Jack...Jack no longer looked like a simple human. Everything pulsed with different colors, the stone glowed with life. Jack's skin seemed to pulse with the vibrant life that flowed through him, and there was something else about him that was so familiar and yet she could not name it. When she looked at her hands, they no longer appeared to be covered with the normal skin she had lived in her entire life--they glowed golden to her sight. She felt lighter than air, and it seemed as if a constant breeze was gently blowing about her, teasing her hair, caressing her skin.  
In that first moment, with everything so different than she had ever seen it, she was filled with wonder and contentment. This was the way things were supposed to look. Thinking back on her life before setting out on this strange mission, she realized that she had never truly seen anything. The most beautiful places she had been to now seemed dreadfully bland in comparison to the life she saw now.  
Slowly, however, her mind turned to more serious things. She sifted through her memories, back through the millennia, to the war of the gods. She wished she hadn't the moment she got there, though, for a flood of dreadful images threatened to overwhelm her. She had abhorred the way the gods were behaving towards one another, their bloodthirstiness. She had always been a gentle goddess, and had imbued her people with that same quality. She disliked blood being shed, and had avoided the skirmishes as much as possible. Reason had been tried, and reason had failed. It had been thrown by the wayside when the one that called himself Allah had killed the Nameless One.  
The war had been long and bloody, and a once well-populated world had become nearly desolate. There were only a few left, Allah among them. He was tired of the world they ruled over being run by peace-loving individuals, and desired to bring chaos and destruction into it. If he had simply stopped with bringing chaos to the world, it might have prospered, but he desired even more to kill the beings that she had so lovingly tended for all their lives.  
She had indeed retreated to the cosmos, the strange and mysterious place that had created the gods and given them the power to create their chosen people. There she had stayed for several days, drifting about in dismay and despair.  
What the elves had not known they had made up, and though it worked with the history, it was not what had truly happened.  
While she drifted aimlessly through the cosmos, a Being had come to her, His body made of sacred ether, the stuff of stars. She had known Him to be a representation of what she had needed at the time, a superior being that could comfort her in her time of need. She had not asked anything of him, had not even thought of it, for she had given up all hope of saving her people.  
So what He said had come as a complete shock to her.  
"Aryana," He had said, "there is yet hope for your people, if you are willing to be patient. We are not pleased with Allah, but there is little that can be done. Chaos does indeed need to be brought into that world, but his plans are not kind. He will create his own people, and they will be abomination through no fault of their own.  
"If you wish to salvage the people you have so lovingly tended, you must give a gift to the creatures Allah shall create. You will give them the same gift of gentility that you gave to your people."  
There she had stared at Him with disbelief. Give the abominations gentility? She had so very little left!  
"Yes, you must. Not to the same extent that you so generously bestowed upon the faeriefolk, of course, for you must keep some of your gentleness through the time of trials that awaits you. No, a spark is all that you need give to these new creations. It will be the only thing that will carry the faeries through the many centuries before you can return to them."  
She had begun to weep, then, and mourn for her poor people that trusted her, that needed her to help them through, and He had held her, whispering to her.  
"You will return, fear not, and you will have help, but you must make this sacrifice in order for your people to survive and for Allah to be defeated. I am sorry, Aryana, I am so sorry."  
She had returned to the land of gods, and had bestowed a spark of gentility. She had allowed herself and the rest of the gods to be brutally murdered by Allah, but not before giving the prophecy to the elves. Her soul had retreated to the comforting arms of the One that had comforted her, and there she had waited for her time to return.  
  
When she came back to herself, she found tears streaming down her face and wasn't sure whether they were tears of sorrow or joy. She looked down at Jack again and studied him closely. That oddly familiar something about him tried to elude her grasp, and succeeded for a while, but she finally pinned it down. It was a part of Him. The One that had held her in His arms for so long, the One who had helped her through the pain of being separated from her people for so long.  
He had come to help her. She felt truly honored, and finally understood why it was that when Jack embraced her it felt so familiar and comforting. Even when she had thought she was in love with Will.  
She thought about the past two decades of her life and realized how full they had been. She had had a loving mother, a father that varied between love and iron will, a wicked brother that could only have been the work of Allah (and she shuddered now as she thought of how she had brought about his death...had she been sleeping so long?). She was two different people, she realized. Silently, she thanked Him for such a gift as He had given her. This strange life had shown her many things, and perhaps it would help her through what she had to do now.  
Smiling, she leaned down and whispered into Jack's ear.  
"Wake up, Beloved."  
  
*********************************************************************** Alright, I have no idea where this is going--honestly. I know that what few PotC characters are IN this story have gotten pushed into the background, and I'm not totally sure how that happened, but I hope you all like how this is going! It's strange, I know...but try not to be too harsh with me! I love you all! 


	12. Brilliance

Chapter Twelve: Brilliance  
  
Liayela sat in one of the various pools of warm water that were scattered about their underground refuge. She had not a care in the world, was in fact feeling better than she ever had. Dharketh had betrayed her, but there was no harm he could do now after she had so thoroughly discredited him in front of an assembly of the people. They would obey-- they always did.  
She had been the leader of her people for over seven centuries now. The eighth century was soon to begin. The old ones that might have dissented against some of her laws were now either dead or could no longer move for old age. Their children had given her their loyalty, and had taught their children and their children's children to do the same.  
Liayela had practically become a god to her people, not only through her rulership but through the help of the Fount as well. Every two centuries, the Elvin-born that was brought to her was sacrificed in secret, the power from his life force channeled instead into her body. Of course, she told the rest of the people that those she had killed were simply too weak to undergo the process that purified their souls of the abominable taint of human.  
They believed her. No one had even bothered to question the fact that this took place only every two hundred years, nor had they noticed that Liayela always came out looking much more youthful and vibrant than she had the day before.  
The elves were getting weary of living their life beneath the earth and sea. They knew that they had once lived beneath the sun, under boughs and leaves, in the wild grassy plains, in the deserts. Of course, Liayela had never lived this life. She had been born long after the elves had been driven from their homes, and so had no memories of this life. She had not even the songs from that time, for no one sang anymore due to their utter desolation.  
The only hope the elves had anymore was the prophecy--and that seemed as if it would never come to pass. Liayela had long ago given up all faith. If the goddess was planning on returning, would she not have returned by now? Her people were all but extinct, some of the elves even committed themselves to the sea because they could not stand living the way they did anymore. Many of the old ones even went to sleep and simply never woke up.  
Thinking of sleep, 'Ela smiled. To think that Dharketh had thought that pitiful woman was their salvation. She had fallen to such a simple spell as sleep; she could not possibly be their goddess. Or even the one the goddess was supposedly going to birth unto them.  
A nagging feeling at the back of her mind told her that the Lost were acting up again. Those blasted things had been so rowdy lately, ever since they had first touched that woman in her dreams. Liayela had ordered Dharketh to frighten them off in an attempt to keep them under control, but it had failed. The Lost had returned to the woman every time she went to sleep, and had only retreated when Dharketh's mental monster had driven them off and the woman out of her sleep so that they would not return.  
She sighed in frustration. What was it about this human that made everything go so completely insane? Ever since she had been discovered, things had been going wrong. The Lost, her source of power and control over the Sleepers, had grown lax in their duties, though not enough so that the Sleepers woke up. Barely.  
If they had enough power to erase the memories of all the damned sailors that came in search of the Fount, they wouldn't have to keep them like this. Another good reason for killing the newest Elvin-born--the soul from one Elvin-born could hold an entire fleet of humans in sleep for as long as needed. With all the ships that came their way, the sacrifices had to be made. At one point in time, so many had come that a few of the elves that had been born true had to be sacrificed.  
The parents of those unfortunate elves had been told that their children had committed themselves to the sea in despair. What they did not know would save her in the end. She shifted in the water uncomfortably. She knew, even if she didn't want to admit it, that her reign was coming to an end. Ever since the new ship had been detected, a growing feeling of alarm had nagged at her. She had to make a new sacrifice, and soon, or else she feared that she would lose all of her hard-won power.  
Which one would she sacrifice? There were two of them, after all, and since the man was here he had to have some sort of the older race in him. If he hadn't, then he would not--could not--be here. The spheres would not let anyone except those of the Blood pass.  
She shifted in the water again, trying to think of what she would do-- and how she would explain it this time. With Dharketh running about, anything could happen and she didn't want to risk the danger he posed. She had already discredited him, but there were plenty of young elves that would readily follow him even if it was only for the reason that Dharketh was young himself. The young were ever that way.  
Suddenly she sat forward, making the water swirl and eddy about her as a brilliant idea came to mind.  
She would bring Dharketh to her quarters, eliminate him herself, and claim that he had committed suicide, so devastated was he that he had been so publicly humiliated. Then she would be free to sacrifice both of the new Elvin-born and harvest the power of two souls instead of one. It would take care of the problem that these two posed, if any.  
Liayela sat back again, relaxing more fully with a smug smile on her face. This would work brilliantly.  
  
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He sat in a little nook that he had come to when he was troubled ever since he was a child. He may have just ruined the only hope he ever had of escaping this place by telling the Eagle of Her own history before Her new body was ready to hear it. How could he have been so stupid? He ran his hands back through his hair, getting it off his face as he tried to regain a normal breathing rhythm. He had run considerably farther from the room that She and the human were than he had intended, but perhaps this was for the best. He had to collect his thoughts. It was not easy to meet the Goddess that would deliver his people from this hell--even if it wasn't exactly She that would deliver them from it. She had yet to birth their salvation, and none of them quite knew what that meant.  
Was She going to have a child? He shuddered. It was hard to imagine how the beauty of the Eagle would change as Her belly grew with the new and magical life within Her. But would She even have a normal pregnancy? Would it be a pregnancy, or was She going to create for them? No one really knew, and that was part of why it was so difficult to see Her.  
The other reason it was so hard to look at Her was because She was so beautiful. The elves as a whole were a very beautiful people, but She was so much different from any of them. Her hair was golden instead of the general black or earth tones of the rest of them, and there was a certain manner with which She carried Herself that made it seem as if She did not walk the ground everyone else walked. He had never met anyone like Her, and he was positive that if any of the others met Her--young or old--they would not wish to give Her up. Especially once they discovered for themselves that She was the Goddess returned unto them.  
He sat there in despair, certain that he had brought about the absolute destruction of his people.  
  
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Wow, it is REALLY hard to remember to capitalize references to Arianne when Dharketh's thoughts refer to her. Yeesh! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy, and thank you so much for not yelling at me! 


	13. I Shall Prove It

Chapter 13: I Shall Prove It  
  
He woke up to a pair of bright blue eyes staring down at him. He was startled for a moment, trying to think of where he was and who he was, and then he realized that those gorgeous eyes belonged to none other than Arianne. He smiled up at her, reaching up to run his fingers through her hair. His wife was so beautiful. He couldn't possibly be any luckier, he thought to himself then. She leaned down to kiss him lightly on the lips, and when she began to move back he held her there, kissing her passionately.  
Eventually, she pulled back, whispering that this was neither the proper time nor place. He remembered all that had transpired, and suddenly agreed. "But how did we end up here? I don't remember being brought this way," he said, frowning.  
"We were brought here under a spell of sleep, love," she replied, the corners of her mouth turned down and her brows drawn together in anger and disapproval. "I've been speaking with Dharketh, and he has told me some rather amazing things, Jack."  
As she told her story--all of it, spanning from many many centuries ago--he sat there in a state of dumb shock.  
  
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She watched his expressions throughout the length of her story, worried that he might not believe her and think her insane. When he simply looked overwhelmed, she felt a small measure of relief. But she wasn't finished yet.  
"Jack, I'm pregnant," she whispered.  
  
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He simply blinked for a moment, and then hugged her close to him. "Arianne, love, that's fantastic!" he exclaimed, and then held her at arms' length, an odd expression on his face. "But why are you telling me right now?"  
"Because...well...this child is going to lead them into a new life, wherever and whatever that might be." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Jack, we're going to lose our child!"  
He pulled her close again, stroking her hair and obviously fighting down several emotions himself. These faeries were going to keep his child? Over his dead body! "Shh, love, it's alright. They're not going to keep our baby, alright?" When she looked up at him hopefully, his heart almost broke. "If they were to raise our child, they would undoubtedly raise it to be like them, and then where would they be? If anything, Arianne, we should at least keep our child until it has grown--and that will take a considerable amount of time--and is ready to be what these people need it to be.  
"We will raise our child to be good and strong, to follow his or her own heart, and when he or she goes away, we'll have to deal with that. Whatever happens, though, our baby won't be gone forever, love. We'll all meet again after we die."  
She stared up at him and smiled, her eyes still shimmering with unshed tears. "Oh Jack," she whispered, laying her head against his chest, "you've always known how to make me feel better."  
He squeezed her close to him, glad that she felt better even if he didn't. He deeply feared for the life of the child growing in Arianne's womb. If the elves decided that they were going to keep the babe, what could he or Arianne possibly do to stop them? Though he now knew that Arianne (or Aryana) was the goddess to these people--their creator, even-- he doubted that they would be able to escape this godforsaken cave without their leave.  
  
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Dharketh wandered miserably back to the room he had left Arianne and Jack in, and was surprised to hear two voices coming from within. She had woken the human man? She had woken up Herself?  
To hear the two of them talking together so calmly did much to cheer Dharketh's spirit. And when he heard Her announce Her pregnancy, he could have danced all the way to back to the assembly hall and cheerfully announced the wondrous news to everyone--Liayela or not. So excited was he that he missed the rest of the conversation, running from the door and shouting to any elf he met that their Goddess had come and She would bring their salvation.  
  
In spite of their leader's announcement earlier that day to disregard anything the young elf would say, they couldn't help but feel cheered and hopeful that this woman would indeed lead them out of the hell they had endured for so long.  
  
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When one of the pages danced into the room wearing a silly grin on his face, Liayela could not help but smile back and ask him what he was so happy about. The smile vanished from her face when he told her about the Goddess and her babe to be replaced by an expression of absolute ice.  
When the boy noticed that she was no longer happy, he stopped midsentence and cringingly took a step back from her. "Where did you get this news?" she asked him, holding him in place by the sheer force of her stare.  
"D-D-Dharketh, ma'am," he whispered, frightened.  
"And what did I tell the entire population of this cave just this morning?" she asked.  
"T-that n-no one was s-supposed to listen t-to him," he whimpered.  
Her arm shot out, catching the boy's collar and lifting him up off the floor and towards her until they were barely an inch apart. "How many believe as you so foolishly believed?" she asked.  
"I-I don't know!" cried the boy, large tears rolling down his cheeks in terror.  
She dropped him, satisfied that he was telling her the truth. "I know that the woman is not the Goddess, Harran," she said, seeming calm. "Do you know how I know?"  
The little boy shook his head, edging towards the door portal.  
"I know because I downed her with a simple sleeping spell, you foolish idiot!" she suddenly screamed at him. He bolted, then--tried to, at least. Liayela closed the door portal so it seemed as if there was nothing but stone where it used to be. The boy collapsed onto the ground, sobbing loudly and trembling with fear.  
"And I shall prove to everyone, once and for all, that that woman is not your Goddess. Go and spread the word that everyone is to gather in the Chamber of the Fount within the hour." She violently opened the door portal again, and the much-relieved boy fled.  
  
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When a tall and beautiful woman with waist-length red hair appeared suddenly in the room, Jack jumped but Arianne simply sat there, knowing that Liayela was coming by the sudden roiling of the magical patterns. Arianne stared at the woman, seeing that her soul was black with faithlessness and too many horrible deeds to count.  
Seeming not to notice Arianne's disapproving and slightly hostile demeanor, Liayela smiled kindly upon the both of them.  
"A ceremony is going to be held in both of your honor in the Chamber of the Fount," she said. "Please come with me and I will instruct you both in your duties."  
Arianne's eyes narrowed, hearing that Liayela was indeed speaking the truth...but she wasn't speaking all of it. All of this had a rather sinister feeling behind it, and she didn't like it one bit. She glanced at Jack, who had been watching her expressions and nodded to confirm that something was indeed wrong.  
She squeezed his hand and got off of the bed anyway, however, and stood facing Liayela. "Liayela," she said, knocking the smug smile off of her face, "I know you're planning some terrible fate for us. You should really think this through before continuing, you know. Dharketh was right when he said that your Goddess had returned."  
The elf woman snarled, completely marring any beauty she had previously possessed. "So he sucked you in with his lies, you foolish woman? It's a bit arrogant of you to think that you might be a goddess, isn't it? How very...human...of you. Now come with me."  
Arianne felt the pull of Liayela's compelling magic, but resisted it and helped Jack to resist as well. Liayela was startled for a moment, but quickly covered her shock. "So you've learned a trick," she spat.  
"We will come with you, but we will not be compelled by any means save our own," Arianne said calmly, almost sweetly.  
Liayela simply growled and stormed out of the room, Arianne and Jack following her.  
  
*********************************************************************** Man, when I first started writing this chapter I thought I'd lost the story, since I haven't written in a week! Yeesh! Anyway, thanks muchly for the reviews (most of which I only received 10 times, Elkengrove's, however, I've received about 60 now and still counting, lol!), and I hope you continue to like it! Also, it's really starting to wind down, so I'm thinking only a few more chapters are left. 


	14. Stop Her!

Chapter 14: Stop Her!  
  
Liayela silently fumed as she led the impudent woman and her mate towards the Chamber, wanting to destroy the two immediately for all the trouble they had caused. She wished that she had not called another assembly, however. The Ceremony was normally only performed in private, herself and whoever she was most currently manipulating being the only observers to the ritual that made the Elvin-born truly a part of their community.  
If she had done it as she had always done this time, she could have killed them both before even bothering to initiate the Ceremony.  
Her mouth twisted with the effort of holding back the words of a spell that would blow a gigantic hole through the nearest wall. Too many complications flashed through her head. This time she would have no one to help her should she fall--she had already rid herself of troublesome Dharketh and had not yet found the time to replace him. Part of her had mourned at having to let Dharketh go--he had made the best lover she had had in five centuries.  
She found herself growling as her thoughts returned to the present, and forcibly stopped making any noise whatsoever. It was good that she took them through the back ways--no one would see the white-hot anger that tightened her lips and drew her brows together. The white-hot anger that stole her beauty and replaced it with a horrible visage with demonic intensity. She had known for a long time what this wretched fury wrought upon her features, and so tried to hide it whenever possible. The elves would not trust one who so obviously had little control over her temper.  
They finally reached a back entrance to the Chamber--usually the one that mischievous children used to sneak in and play at night--and entered.  
  
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Arianne watched Liayela's back, slightly amused by the obvious rage burning within her. It was good that she was so angry. That rage would likely make her err in judgment, aiding herself and Jack. And their child, she added to herself. At all costs, she must protect the child.  
When they entered the Chamber, the soothing sound of the waterfall immediately set her less on edge. When she looked over at it, she saw more than just water--she saw all the various colors of the spectrum though there was no sunlight, she heard the chuckle of the multitude of tiny water drops as they fell into the pool awaiting them. She felt the power of the regenerative water.  
She shook her head. The elves had no idea of what they had here.  
  
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Jack looked at the Fount again and found himself longing to take just a small sip from it--especially now that he knew his wife was going to live considerably longer than he was and would remain young and healthy throughout his body's degeneration. Would she leave him for someone younger when he grew old?  
He shook his head then, bringing himself back to the more important situation of managing to stay alive. Even with Arianne's new powers, they were new--how well could she possibly control them? He reached for his sword and pistol, but when they weren't there he quickly despaired of ever escaping this place. His sword and pistol were what he fought best with, and without them he felt lost. Especially since there weren't any convenient bags of sand or piles of coins to throw.  
He took a deep breath as they came to a stop in front of the Fount, his exhale trembling against his will. Arianne heard him and reached back for his hand, sending a reassuring smile his way.  
He started forward when a voice whispered inside his head. "Trust me," it said. He had convulsively squeezed Arianne's hand, and when he looked all around to see what had spoken in his head, he saw Arianne's sly smile. "Yes," the voice whispered again, and she winked at him.  
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but thought the better of it and closed it again. "You just have to trust me, love. I would never betray you- -in any way."  
When she told him that, he suspected that she had caught his other fears of her abandoning him.  
The elves began to gather.  
  
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Liayela grinned (more a bearing of teeth, really) as the elves began to file into the assembly somberly. No longer did the blind fury control her expression--she was completely in control, holding the anger at bay for when it may be of use after the Ceremony.  
When the full population of the elves had come in, she held up her arms for silence. The elves stopped even what little whispering they had been doing in that moment, knowing that something none of them had ever seen (with the exception of Dharketh, who looked on in dread) was about to happen.  
Instead of giving a speech, as the crowd half-expected, she turned towards Arianne and Jack and beckoned them forward.  
  
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Dharketh watched as Arianne stepped forward willingly with a slight smile on Her face, and he knew that She had no idea what She was in for. He glanced to Jack and saw that he came forward at a more sedate pace, Arianne nearly dragging him along. At least Jack knew that something awful was about to happen, he thought to himself.  
He knew at that moment that he could not allow Liayela to kill the only hope the elves had left. He started to push forward in the crowd, a difficult task since none of the elves seemed to wish to part for him.  
  
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Liayela had begun her trance already and so did not notice the commotion as Dharketh pushed his way through the crowd. She placed one hand on each forehead and began to chant the beginning phases of the Ceremony.  
  
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"Stop her!" he found himself shouting, knowing that Liayela would not hear him anymore. He had seen this enacted twice before, had seen the results, and he could not allow that to happen--not this time!  
"Stop her, she's going to kill the Goddess and our salvation!" he shouted in frustration as he pushed past still more elves.  
He stopped in confusion when a blinding golden light burst throughout the room, his last thought being that this wasn't supposed to happen.  
  
************************************************************************ I was going to say something here...for the life of me, I can't think of what it was...oh damn. *sighs and shuts up* 


	15. The Least She Could Do

Chapter 15: The Least She Could Do  
  
Arianne closed her eyes, mentally bidding Jack to do the same just before Liayela touched their foreheads. As Liayela began her chant, Arianne found that she knew the words an instant before the elf-woman spoke them, and before she realized it, her lips were moving in unison with Liayela's, though she had not yet begun to speak the words aloud. The words sank into Arianne's soul, putting her at peace and stealing wariness from her thoughts.  
She knew this ceremony, but it was not what these elves seemed to think it was. This was a serenade to the stars, to the moon, not something that could transform one from human to Elvin. If one was truly Elvin-born, then one already knew what it was to be an elf. This ceremony simply gave them memories, made them weep for something that was lost to them now.  
Tears slid down her face, though she hardly felt them, so wrapped up was she in the Song--and she was singing now, singing as Liayela was singing. Arianne's voice wove in and out, under and above Liayela's, adding a harmony that had not been heard since those peaceful times when the elves had danced and played so carefree under the sky.  
  
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The golden light dimmed, he thought, and opened his eyes to find himself in a world so different from the one he had known all of his life. There were trees--real trees!--all about him, and a Song more beautiful than anything he had ever known filled his heart and soul with peace and joy. Laughing, he danced, hardly noticing the pulsing golden glow emanating from the trees about him.  
  
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The rest of the elves were experiencing similar images, tears pouring down their faces as they danced beneath the trees the vision showed them.  
Even the old ones who had not left their beds shared the vision, and they died peacefully with happy tears upon their cheeks at having finally experienced the Star Dance.  
  
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Jack did not share the vision the elves did, but he had a vision nonetheless. He was completely at peace; nothing harmful or unpleasant could touch him here in this starry field he found himself in. Above, below, all about him were stars. He was weightless.  
But something was missing.  
Then he saw her, gliding toward him with wings of golden stardust.  
  
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Liayela felt a twinge of resentment as Arianne took the Ceremony into her hands, but it quickly faded away when she found herself in a forest clearing, stars twinkling merrily down upon her. Her voice was suddenly choked as unbidden tears welled up in her eyes and emotion overcame her. She lost the Song, but Arianne carried it farther than Liayela could ever have possibly done. She stood staring at the trees and the beautiful sky, lost in many emotions she had not felt in a very long time  
Hope. Joy. Faith. Remorse for all of her wicked actions.  
Tears poured down her face.  
  
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When Arianne reached him he enfolded her tightly in his arms. He felt completely right, here. Nothing could make him any happier than to be in this place, his beloved in his arms.  
They made love amongst the stars, neither needing to speak a word but both feeling as if this was the most perfect thing in the entire universe.  
  
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She came to him, smiling, Her hand outstretched. He immediately put his hand in Her own, not even questioning that She wanted him to do so.  
"Dharketh," she said, smiling, "You have done well. I thank you for believing, and more importantly I thank you for awakening me to what I was. You have played a large role in the salvation of our people, and you will not be forgotten."  
In the blink of an eye, She was gone, but his spirit was still uplifted.  
  
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She found Liayela standing in the clearing, still weeping silently. "My child," Arianne whispered softly, "what have you done?"  
  
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She stared at Arianne and knew beyond all doubts that She was indeed the true Goddess. "What have you done?" She asked of her, and Liayela wanted to answer, wanted to tell all of the terrible things she had done, but she could not for the lump in her throat.  
The Goddess knew anyway. Of course She did.  
Liayela fell to her knees, bowing her head in submission to the punishment that was surely to come. When lightning did not strike her down, she dared to peek upwards at the Goddess and was surprised by the deep sadness she saw in Her face. Where was the anger? she wondered, where was the righteous fury?  
"I do not wish to strike you down," She said softly, resting a hand lightly on top of Liayela's head. "You know the error of your ways now, but you have done much harm--far too much for even me to ignore. It pains me, but you must be punished for all that you have done.  
"However, you have also done much to prove to our people that I am your Goddess, and I have not forgotten you. For this act, I will allow you to decide your own fate."  
Liayela did not speak. She did not need to.  
"Very well," Arianne whispered, and it seemed as though a sob held itself behind her lips.  
  
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The Song ended, bringing all in the room out of the glorious visions that had befallen them. They immediately felt the loss of that beautiful place, but were still joyful in knowing that She had finally returned to them. They watched Her, understanding that yet another very important event was about to take place.  
  
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Liayela knelt before Arianne, feeling at peace for what felt like the very first time. Arianne began speaking softly, though Liayela did not doubt that every elf in the cavern could hear Her. She spoke to the people about the horrible crimes 'Ela had committed, and she felt her people's anger behind her bent back. A tear slid down her cheek.  
When Arianne's speech came to a close, Liayela began to whisper to Her the crimes She had not mentioned, fearing that She had somehow missed those. A gentle hand caressing her hair stopped her, and she knew that the Goddess had already known, but had chosen not to tell the whole of them.  
For this mercy, Liayela was eternally grateful. Before Arianne could inflict the death upon her that she desired, Liayela decided to spare her the pain of having to kill one of her own children.  
It was the least she could do.  
  
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In spite of himself, Jack felt sorrow when Liayela slumped over to her side on the floor. No one needed to touch her to know that she was dead.  
Arianne turned to him, tears in her eyes, and he wrapped her in his arms, knowing how much she needed the comfort.  
  
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This chapter started out as something incredibly relaxing to write...I actually feel kind of sad that Liayela is dead. Sure she was a bitch, but I had kind of hoped that she would stay alive and be a better person. Ah well...hope you enjoyed! 


	16. Be Careful What You Wish For

Chapter 16: Careful What You Wish For  
  
Dharketh simply stood still, staring at Liayela's prone body. The other elves milled about, some with confusion etched upon their faces, but most with utter joy. These all walked with a noticeable spring in their step, and Dharketh could not blame them. Their freedom was at hand, after all. However...he could not quite bring himself to join them. Liayela...his lover of a century was dead, and though she had been wicked they had had a good time when they could relax enough to do so. He found himself standing next to her, then, and looked down upon her face. A tiny smile curved her lips, the lines of stress had relaxed to leave her face smooth and at peace. A drop of water fell onto her cheek, and he started, wondering where it had come from until he wiped his own eyes. More tears fell as he fell to his knees, cradling 'Ela in his arms while the tears flowed profusely.  
  
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Jack held Arianne, marveling at how someone so powerful could be so fragile in his arms. Her body was trembling with more than tears. She was exhausted. Even the golden light she had been emanating had completely faded, leaving her skin waxy pale. Although she was a goddess, she was in a mortal body that could only take so much power at a time. From the expressions on the faces of the elves milling about the chamber, they had all had quite the experience. He wondered what everyone else had seen. Hopefully it hadn't been as uplifting (in more ways than one) as his had been, he thought wryly.  
Slowly he began to realize that the attention of the elves was coming fully upon he and Arianne. Their eyes seemed to glow with hope.  
"Freedom!" one elf shouted.  
"Give us our salvation!" came another demand.  
Jack shook his head in disbelief. His wife had just worked herself to exhaustion and they were demanding freedom and salvation of her already? The child wasn't even likely to be born for several months! When more demands followed, Jack decided he had had enough. He lifted Arianne gently into his arms and took a deep breath.  
"Your goddess is pregnant, yes, and the prophecy does say that she will birth your salvation, but your salvation is going to take some years to be mature enough to lead you anywhere!" he shouted. "'Your' goddess is not entirely 'yours,' either. She is mine, as well. She is her child's. More importantly, she belongs to herself. You have waited all these years, you can wait a few decades more." He thought about continuing on and saying that it was the choice of the child whether he or she would decide to save these people or not, but he realized that he didn't want them to lose all hope--nor would Arianne wish him to say something like that.  
He looked down at her face, pale beneath the tan, her eyes closed. She was unconscious. He sighed.  
"Arianne will speak with you more later, she needs rest now," he said before turning and leaving through the back exit of the Chamber of the Fount.  
  
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Dharketh looked up in shock when his fellow elves began shouting their demands. They had just seen proof that they were going to finally be freed, but did they not understand that it would have to take time? The child had to be birthed, after all, and then it had to grow. When Jack started shouting back at them, they all fell silent, staring at him with hate plainly written across their faces.  
He could not believe that they were doing this. When Jack stormed out with Arianne in his arms, Dharketh bid Liayela a final farewell and laid her head to the stone.  
"He's right," he said softly, though his voice carried to every ear in the chamber. They turned to look at him, the hate they felt for the human boiling over onto him. He bowed his head.  
"What do you care? You supported Liayela through all she did!" one elf cried out.  
His head snapped up to glare at the indignant elf. Her name was Y'lorani. She had once invited Dharketh into her bed, and he had refused.  
"I supported her, yes. Before I met the Goddess. Before I knew that the prophecy would actually come true. Nothing can excuse what I helped Liayela do, Y'lorani, but have you so quickly forgotten what happened when I tried to tell 'Ela that Arianne was different? I was completely discredited. Any word that came from my mouth was to be disregarded.  
"But if it hadn't been for me, Arianne would not yet know what She was. She would likely be dead at this very moment, along with the child that grows within Her womb."  
Y'lorani's mouth twisted with the effort to hold back the nasty words that bubbled just behind her lips.  
"It will take time," Dharketh said after a few minutes had passed. "We will have to let Her go and raise the child. She has to live in the light, and Her child should live in the light as well."  
One of the eldest stepped forward, then. "We shall have a council. The elders of each of the families shall remain here. The rest of you will be called back when a decision has been reached. Go."  
All of the elves save the eldest of each family slowly left the chamber. When Dharketh moved to follow Y'lorani, the old elf that had spoken stopped him. Dharketh looked at him in slight confusion.  
"You will stay and be part of this. You are the only one that has had close contact with the Goddess."  
Dharketh bowed his head and remained where he stood.  
  
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Jack found his way through the maze of tunnels back to the room that he and Arianne had been in before. Well, he thought it was the same room, anyway. It was really hard to tell. He laid down next to Arianne on the bed and stroked her hair, lost in thought.  
When he had first met her, she was a seventeen-year old girl running about the docks in men's clothing. She had asked him if she could see his ship, and without too much convincing he had agreed. At that time, Arianne had been wholly in love with Will Turner and had desperately longed to learn how to use the sword. Jack had known then that he would not be good enough to teach her for long, and so had gone and talked to Will about taking on a protege.  
That hadn't taken much convincing, either. Will had been heartily tired of the boredom of marriage to Elizabeth, and Elizabeth in turn had appeared to be in love with another man (He winced as he remembered that it had been he she had been in love with. What would have happened if Arianne and Will had stayed together and he had taken Elizabeth? He shuddered to think!). Things might have turned out completely different if Arianne's sadistic older brother Amos hadn't nearly killed her in an alley.  
For one, they likely wouldn't have gone haring off in the Black Pearl to get Arianne away from Amos, leaving Elizabeth to be kidnapped and raped by the bastard.  
In their time on the Pearl, he had fallen in love with Arianne. So had Will (or so Will had thought), and as Will was the one Arianne had wanted at the time, Jack had helped her get him. He had really thought that she and Will would make a fantastic couple, and that Will would provide for her far better than Jack himself could.  
Sadly, Will had broken Arianne's heart when they returned to Port Royal (something that Jack could have killed him for in spite of the fact that it brought the love of his life to him), and Will had gone back to Elizabeth never to stray again. Arianne had introduced Jack to the wonders of being clean, and then they got married and sailed away into the sunset.  
Their lives had been absolutely blissful for a year or so, and then they had heard of the Fount. Things had gotten very strange, and Jack wasn't entirely sure that he was handling it all that well.  
He had thought that his wife was a human--an extraordinary human that had captured his heart against all odds, but human nonetheless. It was decidedly odd that he was really married to an elven goddess who was pregnant with his child who would lead the elves to their new home. He sighed. He kicked himself for wishing for more adventure. It would have been nice to have been slightly bored and sailing the seas with his lovely wife. What was that saying? Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it?  
Ah well, he thought. This was how it had happened, and there was nothing he could do about it. At least he still had the woman he loved, in spite of all the strange things that seemed to center around her. He continued stroking her hair, deciding that he was happy and could take whatever life had to throw at him.  
  
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Filler, I know, and I'm sorry this took so long. Hope you enjoyed anyway! 


	17. The Lost

Chapter Seventeen: The Lost  
  
They came to her in her sleep as they had for what seemed like forever.  
"You did not drink it," they sighed.  
"You did not touch it,"  
"You survived."  
They circled about her, and for once she could see them. They were vibrant images of elves, their eyes full of sparkling happiness. They danced about her in two circles, one within the other, all holding hands. She knew who they were now, Liayela had told her.  
"You freed us,"  
"But there are others,"  
"Others that were trapped,"  
"Trapped by her greed."  
"We were their watchers,"  
"Their guides."  
She was no longer entirely sure what they were talking about. She knew about the crews of the ships unfortunate enough to have come close to the isle, but they were already dead, weren't they? There was nothing she could do for them, she thought.  
"Not the humans," one whispered.  
"The lost, the lost!" moaned another.  
"They will remain lost without us,"  
"We cannot allow that to happen,"  
"They cannot find their way alone."  
She was confused. "Who are these lost ones you speak of?" she asked. They milled about her, no longer dancing their joyful dance, no longer holding hands. They were uncomfortable, she realized, and did not know why.  
  
"Dead,"  
"Dead,"  
"Dead," they whispered amongst each other.  
She frowned. Talking with these spirits was so confusing, and getting information from them was incredibly slow. Dead? What did they mean, dead? What was dead?  
"Many,"  
"Many have come,"  
"This day."  
"They are lost,"  
"Confused,"  
"They have lost their road,"  
"Their road home."  
"But how?!" Arianne cried out to them. "How did they lose their road home? Where is home? Who are the lost?"  
"Elves," one whispered sadly.  
"They have long been unable to leave this plane,"  
"Since the War,"  
"Since Aryana left."  
Aryana...where had she heard that name? It was so hard to think in this place, she found herself to be rather forgetful here. As though she was a spirit herself. "Me?" she whispered softly, trying to think of the name she had been called so long ago. The spirits grew excited then, once more moving in circles about her.  
"The goddess,"  
"The goddess left,"  
"She could no longer guide the spirits,"  
"To their final home."  
"They cannot return,"  
"Anymore," mourned another.  
"But I never..." she started to say, but they interrupted her.  
"You didn't have to,"  
"Your immortal presence,"  
"Was enough to pull them to you."  
She was about to cry with frustration. This was so difficult to understand. "Pull them...to me? Why would they come to me when they died?"  
"They are a piece of you," said one.  
"They are you," said another.  
"Their souls returned to you,"  
"Waiting to be reborn."  
"Only when you return,"  
"To your home in the land of the gods,"  
"Or to the new home of your people,"  
"Will they find their way back to you."  
"Without us,"  
"They will wander the earth,"  
"As ghosts forever."  
She understood now, or at least she supposed she did. She had to go back to the land of the gods, where Allah reigned supreme...or she had to live in the new home of her people, leaving Earth for humans. But...she could not leave, not yet. Her child must still be born, must mature, to lead the people to the new world. She could not free the lost yet, but if she could not, they would remain lost for eternity. These spirits were free to leave now, to follow their path, except...  
They would be lost as well. They were the souls of elves themselves, if she freed them completely they would follow the same path of the souls of the poor elves who had died during her long--and it had been many thousands of Elvin lifetimes--absence.  
"I cannot let you go free," she whispered.  
"We know,"  
"We know,"  
"We know," they said, and they were sad but at the same time strangely happy.  
"You will free us,"  
"Some day,"  
"We can wait,"  
"For our time to arrive."  
With that, they all disappeared--not only in visibility, but in presence as well. They had left her now, but she knew that they had not left out of anger. They had left to return to their charges.  
Now she could leave this strange place and return to the world she had known and loved for nearly two decades.  
  
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She stirred and Jack nearly jumped out of his skin, but she simply turned to snuggle into him, her breathing falling into the normal rhythms of sleep rather than the almost deathly stillness of her unconsciousness. He stroked her hair. She had changed so much since he had first met her, but he loved her all the more for it. What would happen when he grew old and died, though? he wondered morosely.  
"You won't grow old and die the way you think," said a voice behind him, making him nearly jump out of his skin again. When he turned, he saw an elf with white hair and depthless silver eyes.  
"Old you shall become, but you shall not age. Die you shall, but not because of age, nor shall you die in combat. Your life will be full, and your spirit will be fulfilled in all ways. Never shall you nor any of your loved ones suffer for lack of adventures. Your ship will one day belong to your offspring as your body is sung to the depths of the sea."  
"Who are you?" he asked as the silver eyes seemed to see him rather than into his soul.  
"My name is Y'lorani. I usually don't give such a thorough seeing, but your thoughts spoke clearly to me and the vision overtook me. I apologize." Her face remained expressionless.  
"Quite alright," he said, though he was more than a little bit weirded out. He had, after all, just been told how he would not die. Though it was a relief that he would not grow feeble with age as he had feared, it was slightly strange to be told that he would, indeed, die, and that his ship would belong to his child.  
"I will be coming with you," the elf said.  
"What?" Jack asked, confused.  
"When you depart this cursed rock, I will be accompanying you. The council has not decided this yet, but I know that it will come to pass all the same." Y'lorani bowed slightly and then left the room as abruptly as she had entered it.  
How strange life had gotten! he thought to himself incredulously, shaking his head. How could so much happen to one person?  
  
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Alrighty then, this chapter went much easier than the last one. The story is really winding down now, I think only a few more chapters will be added before it's finished. I hope you liked it! 


	18. Her Gift, and Unbridled Passion

Chapter Eighteen: Her Gift, and Unbridled Passion  
  
Y'lorani cursed--a habit she had come into when Dharketh had refused her and chosen Liayela instead--as she packed her clothes and the few items she needed. The memory crystal would have to come with, she thought to herself as she held the warmly glowing crystal. Who knew what interesting things she could place inside it?  
She caressed the beautiful thing that held so many memories from before the time they had been driven to live in these awful caves. She had stolen this from Liayela many years ago when the wicked elf had taken it against all tradition from her dead grandmother's neck. It had been then that she had begun to See things--both of the future and the past. It was the gift that had been passed down every other generation to the women of this family, and her heritage. When Liayela had stolen it, she had gone mad with fury.  
She wished she had not told the human of her vision, did not even know why she had or what she had said. She had seen his death, seen his daughter commanding his ship with a crew of strangely beautiful (if brown) people. This vision, however, had left her with very little detail--as was true with all of the others. The crystal told her that when her power peaked, she would better remember the visions. It had also told her that she would still understand little that she saw until it happened, and to remember that things could change. The future was not governed by fate, but by free will. All she saw in visions was how something would turn out if things continued at their present course.  
Involving herself, though...she invariably interpreted visions involving herself accurately. Such as Seeing herself leaving with the Goddess and the human. She shook her head. One day, life was as it had always been, and the next her world was turned upside down. Ah well. An adventure might well do her some good.  
  
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When he came to tell her the results of the council, she was sitting on her bed, still holding the crystal, her thoughts lost in the past. He sent a tendril of good will towards her and she came out of her reverie to glare slightly at him.  
"I already know," she said frostily.  
"I--I'm sorry, Y'lorani. I never meant to hurt you," he said, and to his surprise and slight pleasure, she looked surprised. "I know that what I did was terrible--to you and to all of our people--but I would so much like to redeem myself in your eyes. That's why..."  
"You're coming too," she said matter-of-factly. He hated how she knew what he was going to say an instant before he said it. She only did it to irritate him, he knew full well, and tried not to show his annoyance. It was futile, however, since she already knew how he felt. He wished things between them had remained the way they had been when they were children. She had always had a touch of the Gift, but it had never been so intense as when she had received that stone.  
He knew, of course, that she had stolen it from Liayela after Liayela had stolen it from her, and he had never said a word to Liayela--even though he had been her lover then.  
Liayela had known, however, when Y'lorani's eyes had changed from purple to silver, when her hair had turned from the blackest of black to pure white. By then, she had had no choice but to allow Y'lorani to keep the stone. She had already bonded with it, after all, and Liayela could no more take it from her than she could fly. It had been a source of great frustration for Liayela, Dharketh remembered, and she had refused him her bed for many weeks after.  
"Y'lorani--and PLEASE don't read my mind again!--I want to start over, I want to go back to the way we used to be," he pleaded. "I miss you."  
"Perhaps some day," she said with a cryptic smile on her face. He knew, of course, that she had seen whether they would or not, and in that moment he hated her for not telling him.  
"We will leave on the morrow, Dharketh," she stated. "You had better begin preparing."  
With that, he left her doorway cursing her as well as himself.  
  
She heard him and smiled wider. This voyage could be...interesting.  
  
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When Arianne woke up, she found Jack staring at her. She smiled and stroked the side of his face tenderly, relieved that he did not appear to be completely overwhelmed by all that had happened. When she kissed his lips softly, he held her close with his hand on her back, kissing her back with passion. Now that the danger of Liayela had passed, the pent-up tension could finally be released as sexual energy.  
She gave in to him willingly and with much enthusiasm, and at the climax it seemed as though they were back in the field of stars. She stifled a cry of ecstasy when they reached their utter limit together, and held him close when he collapsed on top of her, sated.  
What had she done to deserve this wonderful man? she asked herself as she slid towards a blissful slumber.  
  
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Later, when they finally woke, they found a tub of steaming water seeming to beckon them to it. Arianne, with her fastidious nature, hurried directly over to it, Jack following a little more slowly behind. He still had not quite gotten used to bathing all the time (once a week seemed like all the time to him), but he humored Arianne in her desire to keep him relatively clean. It was about time to re-braid his hair anyway, he thought, and the tub was huge--big enough for two, he noticed with a sly grin.  
Arianne had already climbed in and was sighing with pleasure at the hot water relaxing her muscles. She dunked her head under the water to get her hair wet, and when she came up she found Jack standing beside her with the soap in his hand.  
"I'll wash you," he said with a wicked grin. She blushed slightly and allowed him to lather up her hair and rinse it before he moved to her body. By the time he was finished, she was panting with desire.  
She made him get in the water before she would allow him to relieve that burning desire, and she proceeded to tease him as mercilessly as he had teased her. She first unbraided his hair, and then pushed his head under the water to fully wet it. Then, much to his dismay, she washed his hair, rinsed it, and then brushed it out before moving on to his body. By the time she was halfway finished cleaning his body, he wanted to pull her to him and finish it then and there, but she would not allow their consummation until she had finished cleaning him.  
When they had once more completed their lovemaking, they simply relaxed in the tub, Arianne leaning against Jack's chest as he stroked her belly. This was the way things should be, Jack thought to himself. No more stress, no more adventures, for he was heartily sick of both and simply wanted to settle down in a nice home. He would, of course, take Arianne and the Pearl out for journeys between isles, but no longer would he seek such dangerous adventures. He had more than just himself and his wife to think about now, and though he was surprised to admit it even to himself, he did not regret a moment of it.  
He knew that the adventure might not be over for a few months, but he could handle that knowing that soon there would be a measure of rest.  
How little he really knew about raising a child.  
  
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Right! Two chapters in two days, cool, huh? Anyway, you finally got your "Jack/Arianne" action, Nikee, lol. Raislyn-Ari, yes, I know that cliffhangers are mean...but it keeps you reading, doesn't it? lol. And I would write and write until my fingers fell off if I had the time, I really would. Sadly, I don't have the time--I've got a baby to take care of, and not a whole heck of a lot of free time. Usually when I get on the computer to write, it's with express permission, lol. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter:P 


	19. Departure

Chapter Nineteen: Departure  
  
"You've done WHAT to my crew?!" Jack exclaimed.  
"Well, sir..." Dharketh said, fidgeting and trying to avoid Jack's gaze, "they've all...all...well, they're awake...but they don't seem to be in very good condition..." he finished lamely.  
"What do you mean? Will they die?" Jack asked with a dangerous undertone to his words.  
"Well, not yet..." Dharketh said, trailing off.  
"Then you better go and bloody do something about their condition so they can crew the ship, then, hadn't you?!" Jack shouted in rage.  
Dharketh ran off, obviously glad to be away from the wrath of Captain Jack Sparrow. Of course, this gave Jack a feeling of immense satisfaction in spite of the fact that he was concerned for his crew. It was good to let these strange people know who was the boss of his ship. He caressed the Black Pearl's hull lovingly.  
"You know, I could get jealous of your ship," came a familiar and slightly seductive voice from behind him.  
"Oh come on, love, you know you come first!" he protested with a smile. She snorted, knowing better. "Alright, alright, but I've known her longer," he said, smacking his hand against the wood.  
Shaking her head, Arianne simply shimmied up the ladder and onto the ship while Jack watched her rear end disappear from sight. When she had gone, he bellowed, "If you're not finished getting packed and getting your things aboard the ship in the next half hour, you'll be left behind!"  
"Jack, calm down," Arianne called down to him from the deck. "It may take some time to get the crew in working order."  
"Bloody hell, woman, there are enough elves coming with to crew the ship that my original crew doesn't need to be in working order for us to leave!" he called back, annoyed.  
"Well, suit yourself, but if you wind up with a crew of seasick elves and no one to help you, it's your own fault," she said, sounding a bit irritated herself. Her head disappeared and he allowed himself a resigned sigh. Why was she always right? It really wasn't fair to him.  
His musing was interrupted by a softly musical voice. "I have already packed all that I shall need."  
When he turned to see who it was, he found himself confronted with those silver eyes and shockingly white hair. To cover his surprise, he said, "Well, fine thing for a seer to already know what she needs, but what about the other blasted faeries?"  
"They will come soon, and all will have forgotten something that they will believe they are in dire need of halfway to our destination," Y'lorani said with a faint smile.  
Jack simply snorted and motioned for her to begin carrying her things up the ladder. That was another thing that was irritating--there was no room for a gangplank in this blasted place. He would be glad to leave, would be glad to come to a real ship harbor. Nothing but trouble these faeries caused.  
At least they were stronger than they looked, he reflected as he watched Y'lorani carry all of her things up the ladder with her. That was some task, considering that the ladder was made of rope.  
When Y'lorani returned to the ground, Jack asked, "Will my crew members all return to their normal selves?"  
Y'lorani shook her head. "I do not know," she said. "I cannot See the futures of humans."  
"Then how did you see what would happen to me?" he asked, confused.  
"Again, I do not know. Perhaps some day we will be learning what it is about you that is so different," she replied mysteriously before walking away, presumably to say her farewells.  
He stared after her, frustrated. When he finally could no longer stand being so near his ship without being on her, he too climbed the ladder. He smiled as he felt the ship beneath his feet. It had seemed like years since he had last set foot upon his beloved Pearl.  
He walked over to the wheel, caressing it while he hummed snatches of "A Pirate's Life For Me" joyfully. The ship would see open waters again soon enough!  
  
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Arianne watched Jack caressing his ship, a doting expression on her face. It was amusing how much he had missed the ship over the past week or so. Of course, she had missed the ship too, but she knew that she could never understand just how much Jack belonged to the sea. He would never be content living on land for long, and they would have to work through that when the time came. Besides, she thought as she stroked her belly, perhaps having a child to care for would keep him on land that much longer.  
Of course, the child would be raised mostly on the sea--they would definitely have to find a home right on the beach, no doubt. She had no objections to her child becoming a sailor (and a damn good one she would be with Jack as her teacher). In fact, she very much supported it. Her child would have a healthy respect for the sea, unlike those foolish fops that suddenly decided they were sailors. Those almost invariably ended up in Davy Jones' locker.  
This mortal life was such a wonderful thing. Living and doing all that one could before infirmity or death claimed you, then leaving the living to the young. Leaving the world in their hands. She would not age as most mortals did--she would, if she was correct, retain a youthful body and vigor until she herself decided to pass from the world.  
If she had anything to say about that, she would be staying here for a very, very long time.  
  
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Dharketh watched with relief as the pirate called Gibbs began to walk around his cabin. He knew that the others were making good progress as well, and perhaps now Jack would not keelhaul him as he had so threatened. When Gibbs drank from the flask he kept at his bedside, Dharketh suspected that he was just fine. When an alcoholic wished to drink, he was likely going to be just fine.  
  
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Hours later, as the Pearl sailed into the night, Y'lorani watched the island fade from her sight--keen though it was--with a feeling of...what? Was she sorrowful? Excited? She really did not know what to call the strange feeling she felt in her breast. Stroking the crystal, the unmistakeable voice of her grandmother floated through her thoughts.  
"You will be happy now, my child...live well..." it whispered.  
Y'lorani smiled. She was happy. For the very first time she was truly happy.  
The sun dipped below the horizon at last, and the stars took their places while the moon watched their dance as a queen would watch her courtiers.  
  
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^.^ 


	20. But!

Chapter Twenty: But!  
  
"But Mama! You can't be finished!" Reanna exclaimed in dismay. "What happened next?"  
Arianne smiled, amused. Reanna had asked the same question of her when she had first heard the story, and Arianne had declined to say. There were no more stories after this one, at least none of she and Jack. Y'lorani would have interesting tales to tell when she returned, Arianne knew, and then Y'lorani would become Reanna's favorite.  
She glanced over at Jack and caught him looking back at her, a bemused expression upon his face. She slid closer to him and he put his arm around her, making the children gathered before them make faces.  
"That is the end of that story, Reanna darling. And now it's almost dark, we should go home." There was a chorus of "awww"s, but the children began to scatter anyway, each going to his or her home.  
"But I want to hear another story!" Reanna protested as they began walking back towards their house.  
"Reanna, darling, that's all there is," Jack said.  
"But it can't be!"  
"That's enough with the 'buts,' love," Arianne chided. "Besides, some day you will begin to write your own stories, and tell them to your children."  
"I haven't had any adventures though," Reanna pouted.  
"You will," Jack said laughingly. "Believe me, lovey, you will."  
"Promise?" asked Reanna, immediately brightening.  
"We promise," Arianne said, smiling back.  
Reanna ran up to the door and entered the house, no doubt frightening Dharketh for the millionth time. As Jack and Arianne neared the house, they could hear Reanna talking excitedly to Dharketh about all the adventures she was going to have and how they would be absolutely wonderful.  
Jack pulled Arianne close to him and they shared a long and tender kiss in front of the door. When they finally pulled apart, Arianne cuddled close to him and tucked her head under his chin. She wished that she could be with Reanna when she did go out into the world to start a life on her own, but she knew that if she were there she would only hinder her daughter's progress. Reanna had to come into her power on her own.  
Ah well, she would hear an accounting of Reanna's tales some day.  
"Arianne, love, come back down to earth, will you?" Jack whispered in her ear seductively.  
"I'm sorry," she said, looking up at him. "I was just thinking--"  
"About Reanna," he interrupted. She laughed. He had gotten so good at that! "Do let us go inside and tuck her in so we can get to more adult activities, hmm?" he said with a glint in his eye.  
  
They went inside and tucked a sleepy Reanna in, each of them kissing her forehead good night. Long after Arianne and Jack had gone to sleep, Dharketh remained awake, wondering about the things that lied ahead for the little Reanna.  
  
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Alright, this story is....FINISHED! I love you all, thank you for reading the story, I'm so glad that those of you that reviewed liked it, and I would welcome any reviews from those of you that read it but didn't tell me how you felt about it. I'm always happy to receive constructive criticism! Also, a third story will be written by me following Reanna's journey--if anyone is interested! 


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